Hope This Doesn't Hurt
by whereitallbegins
Summary: au. with all the little things that jumble together and all the big things that clash, you'd think that these people would grow up. but in high school, no one usually does. love is toyed with and you have to watch your back to live. are you ready?
1. Beginning

_**7 years old**_

"Massie Block, meet Derrick Harrington. He's our neighbor's godson. Maybe you two would like to play for a while," Kendra Block said. Kendra smiled at both kids and left the backyard.

Derrick gazed at Massie and she smiled back. He scowled and said, "You're really ugly." He grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled.

_**10 years old**_

"Shut up, Derrick!" Massie screamed.

"No, you shut up, Block!" Derrick yelled.

Massie grimaced and kicked Derrick's shin. Derrick howled in pain and pushed Massie down, her brunette hair flinging forward. Massie's eyes watered and she stared hard at Derrick. She hated him, alright. She hated him _a lot_.

_**11 years old**_

"Derrick is leaving? For good?" Massie asked Kristen Gregory and Claire Lyons. Kristen nodded sadly. Claire smiled softly and linked her arm though Kristen's. "Yep, he's leaving for good," she confirmed. Massie's insides started to pop. Derrick Harrington, her archenemy, was really leaving. _And for good, _she thought. She smiled widely and said out loud, "Finally!" Massie giggled with joy. "Yes!" she whooped. She started jumping all over her backyard and Kristen shook her head. _No, this can't be happening, _she thought. _This can't be. _Kristen bit her tongue from saying anything further.

She felt Claire put her arms around her neck, but she didn't want Claire's arms. If she could change the way she felt, she would be happily prancing around with Massie. But she couldn't help it if her best friend's enemy was the one she wanted. Claire inhaled and exhaled into Kristen's dirty blonde hair. She felt bad for her best friend, but what could they do, right? It's not like Claire could talk Derrick's dad into staying here. _Besides, they left yesterday, _she thought. She knew this information because they were neighbors. Claire just didn't have the heart to tell Kristen or Massie yet.

She knew that the both of them would react this way, resulting from their being best friends since the first grade. Now that it was the summer before middle school, they knew what to expect. _Or, who not to expect, _Claire thought. She wasn't going to miss the Harrington family. They were sweet and nice, and little 9-year-old Dana Harrington was the cutest girl found anywhere. But Claire just didn't like the fact that Derrick bullied Massie. Massie and Claire were like sisters. They always seemed to find one another in any situation. They lived only a few acres away from each other while Kristen lived three streets away, in the Redwood Villa. Claire bit her bottom lip and exhaled again. It was going to be very different without the Harrington's next door.

_**Present Day, 16 years old**_

Massie Block flung her dark caramel hair over her shoulder. She was in her bedroom which had turquoise-colored walls. She was daydreaming of the past, having a flashback. She plopped down onto her bed. All over, you could find pictures of her, Kristen and Claire. She smiled contentedly. Her life without Derrick was perfect. Her grades were high, her best friends were still with her, and she was going out with Chris Plovert, the most popular kid at Briarwood Academy.

Chris was the star player in Briarwood's field. He was an excellent striker and was named MVP in his freshman year. Massie had fallen for Chris's dark green eyes and tousled brown hair.

She always had a thing for soccer players.

Massie sighed. She couldn't wait to go out with Chris later in the afternoon. Saturdays were the days that Massie and Chris would spend quality time together. Chris never rushed Massie into doing anything that she didn't want to do. He was sweet that way. She bit her bottom lip and giggled to herself. Derrick Harrington has been out of her life for four years. Nothing could bring him back. Not even his own parents were able to be talked into coming home.

But even if Massie was jolly that Derrick left, she still had a feeling of emptiness in her stomach. She recalled the joyous moments when she found out that Derrick was leaving. But for that past four years in her life, she always knew that there was something missing. She felt the emptiness on the first day of middle school.

Entering the sixth grade with a bubbly personality and two best friends, she expected for it to get ruined. Of course, when they were let out for break, there was no playground, and definitely no Derrick Harrington. Massie sighed. She didn't admit it to anyone, but she missed Derrick Harrington. How he would tease her and the way he looked after chasing her around in circles. The way he said her last name with authority. She missed it all. And when she thought of Derrick and his devious ways, the emptiness in her stomach would disappear, making it all better again.

Massie sighed and got ready. She was supposed to meet Chris in three hours, but she couldn't contain herself, so she had to see him. She got up from her bed and walked to her full-size mirror. Massie was of average height. She wasn't one to be asked out on dates because she's always been known as someone who's averagely not normal. She had never talked about guys, ever. Even about Chris, she would never tell Kristen or Claire about him. She always thought that guys were there to love you and protect you. _But then again, if that's all they were to_ _me, then I should just dump Chris. If men were there only to protect me and to love me, it'd all be no use since I have Claire and Kristen to do that. _Massie pushed her eyebrows together and rolled her eyes at herself.

She looked carefully at her light wash jeans and plaid button-up shirt over a white cami. She was good looking and could even be passed as beautiful. But for Massie, beauty was only skin deep. She inhaled and smiled, not giving a care in the world that she was beyond rich and all she was wearing were blue lo-top Converse.

She marched out of her room and descended down the stairs. "Hello?" she called out. No one answered. She raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and left her huge mansion. She walked into the garage where Isaac, her driver, was waiting. He was a tall man with a well build. He wasn't exactly what you would label as Brad Pitt, but no one really bothered pointing that out in the family.

"Hey, Isaac, I need you to drive me to Chris's house."

"Why, certainly, Miss Block," Isaac answered politely.

Isaac opened the door to the black Range Rover and Massie climbed onto the seat, sliding her butt across the buttery leather. Isaac proceeded to get in the car and stuck the key into the ignition. He turned the key and backed out of the driveway safely. It took a total of 22 minutes for them to reach the Plovert residence, but it was worth it to Massie.

"Thanks, Isaac," she said. "I'll just call you when I want to come home."

Isaac nodded and waited for Massie to leave the car. She slammed the door shut and watched as he pulled out of the Plovert's driveway. She smiled hugely and walked up towards the huge mansion. His mansion was very classic in the inside, and very warm on the outside. The walls were made of rocks, huge rocks that were put together so that they wouldn't break.

The inside was more of a classy look, with white couches and fireplaces everywhere.

The carpets all matched the interior which was brownish-red. The wall out looking into the backyard was not a wall, but glass; glass that reached the ceiling to the floor and stretched horizontally. Massie opened the front door of the house. It was one of the reasons that Saturdays were their day. Chris's parents were never home on Saturday. She closed the door quietly in the hopes that Chris would be surprised in seeing her so early.

She walked up the stairs and down the hallway on the second floor. She saw the door that held all of Massie's pictures and Chris's. That's how they decorated their doors. Chris would have pictures of Massie and Massie would have pictures of Chris on their door. Massie smiled and just as her hand was about to turn the knob, she heard the faint moaning of a girl. Massie gulped and her eyes widened. She was on red alert. She stayed frozen on the door. A tear rolled down her cheek as she heard Chris's voice. She bit her top lip and shook her head. She was never one for making a scene, so all she did was take down the photos of her on his door.

She threw the tacks that held up the photos to the side. She didn't need this crap, especially not from Chris. She didn't care that he was the most popular kid in school or that he was a soccer player or that he was cute and sweet. Because what he was doing was definitely _not _sweet. Massie stuck the bunch of photos into her back pocket and remembered that she had more stuff in Chris's room.

She exhaled and more tears fell down her cheeks. She opened the door and she saw a blurry picture of a naked Alicia Rivera and Chris Plovert. Massie inhaled and shook her head. Alicia squealed and desperately covered herself up. Chris did the same, but was pushed off the bed. Instead, he looked around for his boxers and when he found them, he pulled them on.

"Massie, baby, I can explain," he started.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can." Massie stomped over to the desk drawer and took all eight framed photos of her and Chris. She dumped them in an empty trash bag that she pulled from a glass-etched trash can.

"Baby, wait, no, please, just give me a minute…" Chris trailed off and flinched when he heard the next things that Massie threw inside.

"These are all _mine_." She threw in mixed CDs, more pictures, a bracelet that Massie made for him, and a huge painting that they had taken in Central Park. Chris was behind Massie, begging her to listen. "Please, baby, just listen. Please, I don't like Alicia, I like _you_, I want _you_. Just listen to me, please." Massie shook her head, like she had taken too much already.

"There's nothing to listen to. I already know what happened here. You were hoping that the more you said that there was no need to rush, the more I wanted to have sex with you. Well, you were definitely wrong. I'm not a slut, like _some_ people are"--she glared at Alicia--"I like myself for who I am, and if you can't accept that, go take it somewhere else. But I've seen that you've already done that."

Alicia looked for her underwear and slid them on. She groaned and protested, "I'm not a slut!"

"You're right. You're a whore, too!" Massie yelled. Massie continued to stare angrily at Alicia while she stared innocently back. Chris was gripping Massie's arm, begging her to listen.

"Please, baby, just listen to me, please," he begged.

"No, I don't want to listen to any more lies," Massie hissed. Chris flinched. Massie knew why Chris would cheat on her. Alicia was definitely a pretty girl, but not as pretty as Massie. Or at least, that's what Chris had said. "But everything has just been a lie," she whispered. Alicia had voluminous raven hair. It swayed with her perky butt and her face was just as glorious.

She looked innocent most of the time and her brown eyes always seemed to sparkle. Massie sniffled and turned to Chris's begging face. "I didn't know you would be such an ass, but I do know one thing. The relationship that we have is over. It's done, we're done, and I don't want to see your ugly face anywhere anymore." Massie smirked, tears rolling down her cheeks, and dragged the yellow trash bag behind her, leaving Alicia and Chris in his room with their jaws hanging in the air.

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**A/N: =) **

**Review?**

**Pizzazz:)**

**xoxoDDLSG**


	2. Chapter 2

**The chapter before this, and this chapter as well, is disclaimed:) **

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Massie dragged the heavy yellow trash bag behind her. She was too tired to carry it all the way back to her house. When she ran outside of the Plovert residence, she didn't exactly "call Isaac" like she said she would. Instead, she walked aimlessly down the street. She was lost in her world of sadness that she didn't even realize that she stepped in a doggy no-no.

She sighed and looked up at the sky. A cloudless, blue sky looked back at her. "Why? Why me? I was good. I stayed loyal to my friends, loved Chris with all my heart, and kept my grades up. So why did you choose me, God? Huh?" And as if he was really trying to communicate with her, a wind blew, blowing Massie's soft hair into different directions.

The cold wind stung her cheeks, but she didn't feel it. The only pain that hurt was the one that filled her heart; the one Chris applied. The air blew through her open button-down shirt, causing it to fly. Memories floated through Massie's brain. The day in freshman year when he asked her out; their first hug; first kiss; the time they felt asleep in each other's arms the night they went star-gazing. The memory after that would be scarred into her brain forever. Alicia in the bed, Chris begging for her forgiveness, and her, Massie the Great, not caring about anything anymore.

She was never one for making a scene. She disliked attention, even from her two best friends. But Kristen had always thought Massie should get attention. Massie was the kind of person who laughed at the popular crowd. The popular crowd in Briarwood Academy consisted of three snotty girls: Skye Hamilton, the Alpha, Olivia Ryan, the Beta, and Dylan Marvil, the Ass-Kisser.

These three were known as the Pretty Committee, best friends since the sixth grade. They had never noticed Massie and her small group of friends, but they were pretty happy about it. Massie smiled as she thought of her friends. The three of them had been the best of friends since the first grade.

It all happened when Massie was called on to answer a question that she didn't know the answer to. When she shrugged and the teacher frowned, she recalled silently crying with her head bowed down. Claire was sitting to her left, and from her desk, she retrieved a box of Kleenex and gave it to Massie, who reluctantly took it. The teacher had called on Kristen, who answered the question with perfect ease. Claire consoled Massie who was jealous of Kristen.

During the lunch break, Claire and Massie were talking about the new Polly Pocket dolls. After a few minutes, Kristen came up to them with a bag of Oreos and said, "I'm sorry I took your question. Will you please forgive me?" Little 6-year-old Massie smiled and nodded, patting an empty space next to her. The three soon made a ritual of Oreos from Kristen, apple juice from Claire, and tuna sandwiches from Massie.  
Massie snapped back from her daydream as she yelped. Near her ankle was a tennis ball. She picked it up and examined it. There were initials signed on the white lines. "D.H," she murmured.

She gasped and her eyes widened. Could it be that her archenemy was back? _No_, she thought. _It can't be. He's not supposed to come back. _Massie heard footsteps coming from behind her. She shut her eyes tight and opened them again, the ball still in her hands.

"Excuse me," a childish voice said.

Massie turned around and stared directly into the air. She looked down and saw a boy with red hair and freckles. He looked like Annie. She bent down so that they were eye to eye and she greeted. "Why, hello young man. Is this your ball?" She showed him the tennis ball.

He nodded enthusiastically. Massie felt a pang of regret in her stomach that it wasn't Derrick. But then again, if it was Derrick, what would the conversation be like? Well, there wouldn't _be _a conversation. Derrick is more on a violent term. So, it'd be something like…

"_Oh, hey, Derrick, this your ball?"_

_He'd stare at it, shake his head, and start poking her… Hard. _

Massie felt a tapping on her shoulder as the boy brought her back to reality. _Jeez, I'm really out of it. See what Chris did to me? _she thought. "Excuse me, lady, but can I please have my ball back?"

Massie smiled and gave him the ball. He took it and he smiled. Two of his front teeth were missing, like Derrick in the second grade.

"What's your name?" she asked.

The red-headed male version of Annie looked her in the eye and answered, "Devon Hayes, seven years old. May I ask what your name is, lady?"

She smiled softly. "Massie Block, 16. You know, I know someone else with the same initials as you."

Devon's eyes twinkled. From behind him, a black Kia Sorento rolled down the street. Massie took Devon's hand and led him to the sidewalk. "We should talk here, where there's no cars."

Devon nodded and asked, "Who is he?"

"The person I know with the same initials as you?" Massie asked, sitting on the sidewalk's edge with the trash bag in her other hand. Devon nodded patiently, sitting next to her. His eyes flickered to the yellow bag every once in a while, but Massie didn't mind.

"Well, his name is Derrick Harrington. I've known him since we were seven. We used to play around a lot." She didn't tell him that they actually hurt each other.

Devon nodded. "Where is he?"

Massie sighed. "He moved to Minnesota. I never heard from him after he left."

"Do you miss him?"

She gulped. She didn't know who this kid was, but she felt comfortable talking to him. She inhaled and decided to tell the truth. "Yes, I do. I miss him a lot."

Devon nodded, like this was perfectly understandable. "Then do you love him?"

Massie's dark amber eyes widened. She never thought of Derrick as anything more than an enemy. For her, love was when you think of the person and smile; when you get butterflies just at the sound of his name; when seeing him smile brightens up your whole day. Those were the kinds of things that she thought love contained. But she and Derrick would never get together.

"No, I don't like him like that."

He nodded again. "But you miss him, right?"

_Jeez, _she thought. _I have a feeling that I know what you're gonna major in. _She nodded.

"Then you do love him." He threw the ball in the air and caught it. He rolled it in his hands and squeezed it. He repeated the process and Massie watched his little boy hands—boy hands that reminded her a lot of Derrick. She raised an eyebrow, half of her wishing he would come back, the other half questioning herself.

_I hate Derrick, right? _she asked herself.

"So, you hate him, but you miss him?" he asked, repeating the same thing that's been said so many times.

"Yeah, like that."

"You're a weird teenager."

"You're a weird kid," she laughed.

Devon's face was strained. "Well, you're weirder since you carry a trash bag full of pictures."

She cringed. She felt her heart shatter, which wasn't a good feeling. "It's just stuff that I took from an ex-boyfriend."

Devon nodded. "Well, this talk has been nice, Massie, but I need to go now. My mom might be looking for me." He stood up and dusted off his bottom.

She smiled and stood up with him. "Thank you, kid, for the talk."

"Anytime. Oh, and if ever this Derrick guy comes back, tell him how you feel. Bye Massie." He turned on his heel and scampered down the sidewalk.

She watched him go. If ever she was going to have a boy, she would name him Devon, after Devon Hayes himself.

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**A/N: =D**

**Don't you just love Devon? I do. **

**Review? **

**Pizzazz, **

**_xoxoDDLSG _**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimed:) This chapter is dedicated to Smilez014 because she's weird and my besterestest friend in the whole world and I don't know what I'd do without her:) **

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Massie trudged up the walkway of the Lyons' residence. Judi and Jay Lyons were as always, not here. Although that meant Claire could bring guys in, she was too much of a sweet person to do that. She turned the knob of the door to Claire's huge house. Even if she was an only child, there were still five bedrooms and four in a half baths.

Before stepping in, her head turned to the huge house about two acres away. She didn't need to be that close to know that someone was living there. Massie's heart filled with anger. How dare someone move into Derrick's ex-house?

_Whoa, wait, Mass, contain yourself, _she thought. _You don't like Derrick, you hate his guts. Don't be fooled by him. _

The lights were on in Derrick's house. Massie felt even more tears sting her eyes. And then she couldn't hold herself any longer. She let the heavy emotions flow through her. Emotions that were set off because Derrick left without saying goodbye—not that it even mattered—and because Chris had cheated on her. This was good, the tears, but it'd be even better if she had a friend's shoulder to cry on. She continued to walk through the house, not caring that she was freely sobbing now. She heard soft piano music coming from the dining room. She saw two families there staring at her through her blurry vision.

"Massie!" Claire yelled.

Massie sniffled and the tears came faster. "Chris cheated on me!" she shrieked.

"Oh, my," an unfamiliar voice murmured.

"Is that Massie? Wow, she's so pretty, and so grown up," another unfamiliar voice noted.

"Massie, honey," Judi Lyons' sweet voice said.

"I'm gonna kill that Plovert kid!" Jay Lyons exclaimed. The Blocks', the Lyons', and the Gregorys' were the best of friends and everyone knew everything about each other…  
Well, not everything.

Claire hugged Massie and stroked her brunette curls. "Oh, Massie," she murmured. "You're a wreck."

"It's so unfair, Claire Bear."

"Who did he cheat on you with?"

"Stupid freaking Alicia Rivera, that's who!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Claire, I saw it with both my eyes. I decided to go to Chris's house earlier than usual, and when I heard a girl, there she was! Naked and it was horrible. And worst of all, I let it all out. See," she sniffled. Claire let go of her. She grabbed the yellow trash bag and dumped its contents. Photos, CDs, and hand-made accessories spilled out of the bag.

Claire inhaled slowly under her breath. She covered her mouth with one hand. "Oh, my God," she muttered under her breath.

She nodded, her curls bouncing.

Claire felt envy towards her beautiful best friend. Even if she cried, she was still beautiful; her amber eyes danced with emotion, making it twinkle. Her brunette curls bounced during any occasion, even if her hair as wet. And aside from being so pretty, she was also the nicest person alive. She was so much fun and so outgoing and so down to earth that it was hard to miss her, let along break her heart. She couldn't believe that Chris Plovert cheated on such an awesome person.

Massie sobbed again. Claire buried her in a hug. Jay stood up along with Judi. They enveloped their second daughter in a hug. They loved her because Massie was always there with Claire. She wasn't like some other kids who would befriend Claire and then leave her. Judi and Jay considered Kristen and Massie to be daughters as well.

Jay stood up. "I'm not letting this slide."

"Yeah hell I'm not letting this slide. Chris is such a jerk. And to think he said he would never resort to cheating again," an unfamiliar voice said from behind.

Massie felt Claire and Judi release her, but someone else got a hold of her. Someone stronger, someone more masculine. But she didn't care. She hugged this mysterious person back, and he stroked her hair. The voice whispered, "I missed you a lot, Massie. I'm not that happy that I saw you again like this, though. But you're even more beautiful since the last time I saw you."

Massie inhaled sharply. She craned her neck up to see a face she thought she'd never see again. The dirty blonde shaggy hair, the caramel brown eyes… It was D.H. Not Devon Hayes—Derrick Harrington. He smiled and wiped a tear away from her cheek. "Miss me?" he asked.

But she didn't answer. Derrick Harrington was back. Derrick Harrington—the boy who pulled her hair, the boy who would punch Massie and tease her brunette curls and her unique amber eyes, the boy who just never seemed to show any sort of affection to her—had said she was beautiful. And that he missed her. Her lips parted, but so did the wires in her brain. The room around her started spinning, and the song "According to You" by Orianthi played in her head as her vision blurred and her eyes shut, blacking out.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Massie's eyes slowly crept open. She was about to stretch when she realized that she could barely move. There were two strong arms that were wrapped around her. They felt exactly the same as from yesterday. Then that meant…

Her brain sent a red alert to her amber eyes. She looked around her, and in her body. _Phew, my clothes are still on, _she thought. She winced. Looking around her, the room seemed familiar. The cream-colored walls, the portraits drawn various painters, the oak cabinets, all reminders of Claire's guest bedroom.

_But whose arms are these? God, they're so heavy. Jeez, take a chill pill on the weights will you? _As if on cue, the person behind her budged on the bed, allowing Massie to turn around and see who it was. When she was finally able to rest her eyes on the stranger, she gasped.

Derrick Harrington fell asleep next to Massie with his arms around her. Although Massie's cryfest yesterday gave her a throbbing headache today, she didn't mind that he had his arms around her. Massie's eyes widened. _Massie! Don't even dare fall for this jerk. You better not, girl, or I'll slice you. Hey, don't talk like that, weirdo. _Massie really was going crazy, and only because her enemy was here. She stared at his serene face. _Had Derrick always looked this cute? _

She remembered the events from last night. Chris cheating on her, her meeting Devon, and running to Claire's house only to find someone she didn't want to be there.

Massie's eyes widened as she realized something. If the house next to Claire's had a light on, it meant someone was living there. And since Derrick was here last night, it meant that his parents were probably there, too.

_And parents + Derrick + lights on in the neighbors house equals…_

"Derrick is moving back," she murmured. The words felt foreign to her. "Derrick's moving back," she repeated, slower so that the words made sense. She licked her lips. "Derrick's moving back." Emotions flooded through Massie again. But they weren't sad ones; happy, they were happy ones.

She didn't know why she felt this way, and it was weird to her. She blinked. It was odd that these emotions seemed to fill her. And she hated to admit it, but now that Derrick was back, she felt whole again.

The missing void in her heart was filled. She frowned. She didn't want to fall again. _Not that I will let myself fall, _she thought. Derrick inhaled and exhaled and his eyebrow twitched. Massie bit her bottom lip and made the mistake of moving back. She was surprised to hear him murmur, "Massie." Her eyes widened into nickels as she felt Derrick's arms tighten around her and he pulled her closer.

She was too weak to pull away from him as he pulled her towards him. In four seconds, her entire body was pushed against Derrick's. She felt his body heat pulsing and it made her feel comfortable, like she was meant to be there. She sighed and buried her head into his chest. Even though she knew that this was Derrick, she didn't mind.

In his sleep, Derrick wrapped his arms tighter around Massie, and she felt every cell in her body heat up. Part of her wanted him to let go because she just remembered that she hated him with every fiber of her being.

But then again…

"No, Massie. You will not let yourself fall for someone as idiotic as Derrick until you are emotionally stable. Which is probably never." Her chin quivered. She hated Chris, but she hated Derrick more. She thought she loved Chris. _But I guess he didn't feel the same. _The tears started falling as the realization hit her that the midnight calls had ended, the kisses ended, when he would pass notes with cheesy lines ended, when he would call every hour after school after they had just met ended, and they conversations on practically anything in the world ended. The tears soaked Derrick's red shirt.

Derrick made a weird sound that came from the back of his throat. He yawned deeply and opened one eye. When he felt his chest was wet, his other eye popped open. "Massie," he whispered in pity.

She broke out into a loud sob and wrapped her arms around his waist. "He's gone," she moaned, repeating it ever few seconds.

Derrick felt like pounding Chris into a pulp. He hated seeing her like this. But even though, he thought she was beautiful. _Much more beautiful than before, _he thought. Massie was one of the reasons he came back. He remembered the first time he saw her.

Brunette curls hanging below her shoulder, framing her delicate face, and her eyes… Her eyes were piercing and intense, but what he loved the most was her personality. Growing up in a world where fashion was everything, he would've assumed she was a bitch.

But she wasn't. She was so comfortable being around. She appreciated her friends, she appreciated jokes, she appreciated all the little things. Her smile, the prettiest one around, was what got Derrick the first time. She always smiled, and it was fine for Derrick. It made his whole day. Massie had this exciting aura about her that made you just love her. She was outgoing, smart, gorgeous, and just the best friend anyone could ever have. Over the years, he slowly but surely fell in love with her. That was why he bullied her more. He didn't want Massie to know that he practically worshipped her. But each time he did it, it pained him to see her cry.

He always knew he was in love with Massie, but why would he say that? It was the reason why he didn't say bye to Massie before he left. He was afraid that she'd be too happy.  
_I mean, she hates me for being such a jerk. I don't think that jerk even covers how mean I was. It's too bad she hates me. What perfect timing this was. _He sighed. "It's okay, Mass, I'll kill him," he half-heartedly teased, rubbing her back.

He was surprised that she fit so perfectly into the curve of his body. He's had thirteen girlfriends before, all girls with the initials M. B. If it wasn't M. B, it was B. M. But none of them compared to Massie. They were posers. They didn't catch Derrick at all, not in their smile or in the words they said. There was nothing magical to any of the girls he dated. And the worst part? The worst part was that they all wanted to have sex with him because he was the popular, hot kid. And he didn't feel good about that. At all.

With tears streaming down her face, she asked into his chest, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

_Because I love you, _he thought. "Pity?" he said instead.

This made Massie cry even more. _It would've been better if you said because you loved me_, she thought. She didn't know why she did, it's not like she loved him. "I hate you Derrick Luke Harrington. I can't believe you came back." Massie squirmed out of his arms.

_Aw, crap, _he thought. He threw the covers off of himself and stared as Massie got out of the bed, shaking her curls to cover her face. With just one shake of her head, she was the most beautiful angel Derrick had ever laid eyes on. Claire had changed Massie's clothes last night while she was asleep. He didn't know how she did it, but he was grateful that she did.

She was now wearing purple and white plaid short shorts and a light pink tank top.

He hungrily examined her every curve.

"Stop staring at me," she whined.

"Sorry, I can't help it. Wow. The last time I saw you, you had a flat ass, no rack, and you were as flat as paper. Now look at you, Mass. I made the right choice to come back." He winked.

"Oh, ew," she muttered. "You're still a big jerk." She picked up a pillow and chucked it at him.

He caught it with perfect ease and said, "Yeah, but a hot jerk, right?"

Massie made a face In the back of her mind, though, she had longed for Derrick's stupidity. But now that he was back, she wished she was strong enough to kick him back to Minnesota.

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**A/N: =)**

**Review, please? **

**Pizzazz, **

**_xoxoDDLSG _**


	4. Chapter 4

**Dedicated to Y O U for reading this:) Disclaimed...**

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Claire walked up the stairs to call Derrick and Massie. It was 7:46 in the morning, and Claire had been up since five. It was sort of Claire's thing; she's been waking up at five since she was 9—and it didn't even matter what time she would go sleep. She always woke up at five on the dot **(Dez's thing:])**. Massie and Kristen were the only people who knew that.

Walking up the stairs, she slowed down. Was it wrong that she had developed a little crush on Derrick, even if Derrick loved Massie? And what about Kristen? How would she feel about this news? And what if Massie found out about Derrick's feelings for her? Will she love him back? And was it wrong that Claire secretly wished she wouldn't so that he could fall for her? Claire sighed. This was all Derrick's fault.

_If he didn't look so darn good, and if he didn't have the greatest personality in the world, I wouldn't have fallen for him. Ugh, why did he have to be so cute?_ she thought.

She sluggishly trudged up the stairs again, thinking about last night. Seven steps away from the top step, she stopped again. She plopped down on the stairs and rested her chin in her hand. She stared off into the distance, thinking…

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"So this is Massie, huh?" Derrick asked.

"Yep," Claire replied. Claire enviously glanced at the limp body that was being carried by Derrick's strong, muscular arms.

"She's gorgeous, huh?"

Claire twitched slightly, but agreed. _It's not like Massie was ever ugly, so I should just tell truth._

"I really missed her when I was gone," Derrick murmured. When he said this, his chocolate brown eyes flickered to Claire for only a little bit before returning to Massie's angelic face.  
Claire nodded. They reached top step and walked to the end of the hallway. Claire opened the brown door and Derrick went in first. He carefully placed Massie on the huge bed, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead.

A knife dug through Claire's heart. Not only had she always wished to be Massie, but at this particular moment, she seriously _craved _to be Massie. "I need to change her clothes," she whispered.

Derrick nodded, eyes glued on Massie.

Claire bit her tongue and walked out the room. Searching through her closet in her room, she grumbled to herself. She was angry; angry at Massie, at Derrick, at Kristen… But mostly at herself.

It was unfair to her. Derrick had been Claire's neighbor first. They've lived near each other, and their families were good friends. _But then again, Massie was beautiful and the awesomest person in the world. Who wouldn't fall for her?_

She went deeper into her walk-in closet and pulled out a colossal box labeled, "Clothes I'll Never Wear". She pulled open the flap and duh through the available clothes. She pulled out purple and white shorts and a light pink tank top. Massie was into shorts and flip-flops. She was just that sort of person who could pull it off in winter.

She ambled casually back into the room and threw the clothes on an oak cabinet. Claire was surprised to see Derrick staring at a portrait of Claire taken last year. She walked up right next to him.

"You know, you should have more pictures of yourself. You're really pretty in that innocent way," Derrick commented.

Claire felt the blood rush to her face. "Thank you," she squeaked.

Derrick glanced her way and smiled. "No problem. You know, I've always wanted to ask you something."

"What?" Claire shifted her body so that half of it was turned to Derrick.

Derrick made the same motion. Sighing, he asked, "Why did you ignore me? Every time I talked—or at least tried to talk to you, you completely ignored me. Do you, like, hate me? Did I do something to hurt you?" His brown eyes sparkled with genuine concern.

Claire's jaw dropped only slightly. Shaking her head, she answered, "No. Believe me, I would've talked to you." Claire was half-lying and half telling the truth. She was guilty that she hadn't talked to her neighbor, but Massie was her best friend, and Derrick treated her like crap.

Derrick nodded. "Why didn't you, then?"

Claire's eyes widened. Was it possible that she had to lie to Derrick? Clare had never done that before. The last time she lied, she was eaten up by guilt and told the truth. And that was just 'cause she ate a cookie when Judi said not to. Plus, that was back in the fifth grade. _Who says that I can't lie again? _she thought. Clare took three deep breaths.

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "Claire, are you okay? You look kinda pale."

_Oh, great, now I look like a nerd. You know what? The truth sounds perfect right now. _"Because you treated Massie differently," she whispered.

Derrick strained to hear her. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. What?" He tilted his head to her and stumbled a step forward.

Clare took another deep breath. "Because you treated Massie differently," she answered, a little bit louder this time. She averted her eyes and scrutinized the portrait again.

Derrick's eyebrows shut up and disappeared behind his shaggy hair. "Excuse me?"

"I said you treat"—Claire shot the sleeping Massie an impatient glare—"differently."

"Say it again?" Derrick demanded. _Was she seriously saying that to me?_

"Ugh, are you deaf or just plain stupid?" Claire hissed at him impatiently. Her eyes bugged wide and she held her hands out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry, it just slipped."

Derrick chuckled. "It's okay. But… What do you mean when you say that I treat Massie differently?"

Claire shrugged. "You know—pulling her hair, teasing her… Things someone like _you _would do." She offered him a "Sorry" glance.

Derrick faltered.

Claire continued on, seeing that he wouldn't say anything else. "So, why did you do it? I mean, how could you do that? Massie is so nice. How could you be such a…" She furrowed her eyebrows and bit her bottom lip. "Sorry for this word, but why were you such an ass to her?" Claire wrinkled her button nose in disapproval of her word.

Derrick looked around the room. Nothing but Massie caught his eye. He smiled at her beauty. He finally plopped himself down on the ground, near Massie. "It's 'cause I love her." He rubbed his hands slowly together, avoiding eye contact with Claire.

She blinked. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she sat down next to Derrick. She clasped her hands together and asked, "What? How can you say that? If you love someone like you say you do, you don't treat them like crap." Claire bit her tongue because she hated saying those kinds of words.

Derrick half-smiled. "It's 'cause I don't _want_ her to know how I feel. It's kind of cheesy, don't you think?" He shrugged.

Claire raised an eyebrow. "You love her?" she guessed. It hurt too much to say that.

He nodded slowly. "I've loved her since the first time I saw her. I know it's a crappy excuse, and it may not seem real, but I love her. And I won't stop loving her. She just… completes me, you know?" he confided.

Claire nodded, even if she didn't get it. And she wasn't planning on getting it.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Claire gulped and wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek. "What the heck…" she muttered. "Am I crying over Derrick? You better not, Claire. Stop yourself this instant." She tilted her head back so that the tears didn't escape.

"Don't, Claire, stop it." She rubbed her eyes and stayed seated on the stairs.

She had fallen for Derrick's sweetness. _But how? How could I have been so… Claire? _She furrowed her eyebrows and sniffled. _Yuck, yuck, yuck! Gosh, I'm so dumb! _

In frustration, she gripped the banister, pulled herself up, and stomped her feet.

Claire had fallen for boys a number of times before. There was Dempsey Solomon, who didn't know Clare was alive, and there was Landon Crane, who asked Clare out to make Allie-Rose Singer jealous. She promised herself that it'd never happen again.

_But why do I always seem to break my own promises? _she asked herself. _Because I'm not strong enough_, a tiny voice answered her own question.

She sniffled and closed her eyes. Derrick's face popped into vision. She gasped lightly and twirled the ends of her hair. It was a nervous/scared habit, and right now, she didn't know what to feel.

Claire shook her head and decided that it'd be best to go up there and call them down for a talk, even if she didn't exactly know what to talk _about_. Pursuing her climb, she patted her hair to straighten it. Walking down the hall, she heard the two bickering.

Claire sighed. _Good thing my parents aren't here, _she thought. She opened the door and saw Derrick's hot body—_Jeez, Claire_—on the bed, catching pillows that Massie threw at him.

Claire gasped loudly at the sight of Derrick's flawless six-pack. "Uh… Massie, you naughty girl?" Claire said. It came out sounding like a question.

Massie froze. One hand was in the air, gripping onto a pillow. She was just about to throw it when she heard Claire. Massie raised an eyebrow.

"Thank God you came Claire!" Derrick heaved. In both of his hands he held pillows. He was on his knees on the bed.

Claire blushed.

Massie saw the exchange and rolled her eyes. "Don't even think it, Lyons." Massie shot Claire a knowing look.

Derrick's face lit up with amusement. "Ooh, jealous, Mass?" he teased.

"Ha, you wish I was!" she retorted.

Derrick's face fell a little, something that Claire caught. She felt bad for him, but she hated Massie for making him feel unwanted. _I mean, that was so long ago when he bullied her. She doesn't have to be so hurtful. _Claire huffed a little and wondered why she was acting a little bit meaner than usual.

Derrick rolled his eyes and smiled again at Claire who pressed her lips together. There was an awkward silence that filled the room. "Uh," Claire began. "Can you tell me why you're shirtless?" She directed her glance to Derrick.

He smirked. "Massie."

Claire's eyes widened as Massie rolled her eyes. "Claire, it's not what you think," Massie answered calmly.

"Then what is it?"

"Derrick," she spat angrily, "was talking about how so many girls loved him because he was 'hot'." She put air quotes on the last word.

"Well, look at him," Claire mumbled absentmindedly.

Sadly for her, the vibrations bounced off the walls and into Derrick's and Massie's ears. Massie's jaw dropped and Derrick blushed momentarily.

He regained composure and chuckled. "Thanks, Claire. Seriously, two saves in a row? You're my angel, dear." Derrick winked at Claire playfully, making her crimson.

Massie smiled and jokingly rushed over to Claire and took her by the shoulders, gripping them gently. Massie shook Claire and shouted, "How can you say that?" What did he put you on? Are you on drugs?" Massie buried her face into her hands and her muffled voice cried, "My sweet, sweet Claire, what's happened to you?"

Claire raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes—something that she did on rare occasions. "Mass, stop it," she giggled. "I'm not, not, not on drugs, and never, never, never will I be." Claire smiled.

Massie knew that she was telling the truth. Repeating things three times was the way Claire emphasized things. She looked up from her hands and laughed.

_Beautiful laugh, _Derrick thought in awe. How could he have hurt someone so angelic? _Because I was stupid. _Derrick bit his bottom lip and laughed along with her.

Claire winced at how musical it all sounded. She wished she and Derrick could share something like that. Snapping out of her reverie, she remembered what she had to tell Massie. "Uh, Mass, I asked Mom if you could stay over. She said yeah. Apparently, Ma told Mother that Derrick was here. Kris should be here in a few hours. Uh, Mom asked what you would need."

Claire sniffed the air for a minute and smelled a faint Axe scent.

Claire wrinkled her nose. _Yuck. How come I didn't smell that earlier? _

Derrick scratched his flawless four-pack. "Well, I am very confused. How many moms do you have?" The question was directed to Claire, but he was ogling at Massie, who seemed content to just stand there with her tones arms stretching.

"Uh, see, Kendra, Massie's mom, said to call her Mom. Judi, my ma said to call her Ma, and Martha, Kris's mom, said to call her Mother. So, that's what we do. We don't feel comfortable saying stuff like, 'Your mom,' or 'aunt'. We find each others' parents to be our own." Claire smiled at Derrick who grinned appreciatively back.

Claire's cheeks reddened.

Massie bent down and touched her toes.

_Damn, _Derrick thought.

Massie seemed to remember that there was an Unwanted Flirting "Object" in the room. She instantly straightened her back and glanced at Derrick's perfectly sculptured build. _Ugh, why does __he have to be so cute? _she thought. _Oh, ew, Mass. Jeez, you are such a slut! I thought I was supposed to be mourning Chris? Why aren't I? God, I hate boys. _

Massie looked at her bare feet. She wondered how long she felt like staying.

"Mass? So?" Claire pressed.

Massie nodded and answered, "Uh, clothes? And my guitar. Or you know what, I'll just go home and get my stuff. I need to tell my parents that I'll here for at least a week."

Derrick's face lit up. "Want me to go with you?" he asked.

Claire's heart tore into two. Her eyes slightly watered, but she was able to blink it back. She sighed and Massie glanced her way. Claire replaced her heartbroken face with a wide, innocent Claire smile.

But Massie knew something was wrong. She always knew when Claire or Kristen was sad or had a problem. It was her special power. She raised an eyebrow at Claire and examined her every move.

Derrick frowned. He put on his red t-shirt and got out of the bed. Massie looked too distracted, so he decided to anger her. _Just one last time, _he thought mischievously.

Claire was standing, watching Derrick move towards Massie. Massie oblivious to Derrick's mischievous movement. She was too busy watching Claire.

_Is she heartbroken? But from who? It can't be Derrick, right? I mean, she keep blushing, though. But that's ridiculous. Claire has been on my side for too long. And Kristen is the one who likes Derrick, not Claire But that could change. Ugh, Derrick is so—_

"Holy crap!" Massie shouted.

Derrick wrapped his arms around Massie's waist and hitched her onto his shoulder.

Massie screamed. "Aah! Put me down, Derrick Luke Harrington! Aah!" She flung her arms and kicked her legs, but Derrick was stronger. In the back of her mind, she found that sort of attractive, that he was so strong.

Derrick laughed in amusement. "If you say so," he chortled.

Massie's eyes widened. "What are you gonna do, what are you gonna do, what are you—" Massie gave one final scream and before she knew it, Derrick slammed her on the soft, plush bed.

She bounced twice before her body finally settled.

Derrick was learning over her. Her eyes widened as she saw Derrick's toothy, cocky grin. His hair was in his caramel brown eyes.

Massie thought that that was really cute. _Oh, shit, Massie, stop it. God, I'm such an ass. _"Get off me, Derrick," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Derrick was holding himself up with his hands, which were placed on either side of Massie's head.

Derrick liked that he was this close to Massie. He always longed to hold Massie, but this was close enough. _Except, it's not what I want, _he thought sourly.

Claire's heart was now officially broken into minuscule pieces. She was breathing heavily and the anger in her was boiling.

Derrick didn't even remember Claire being there, but Massie did. She lifted her head up and bit Derrick's arm.

He laughed. "That doesn't hurt, but that did turn me on. I like my girls feisty and hard to get." He winked.

Massie, to his surprise, laughed.

Derrick joined in.

The sound was like a whole symphony to Derrick. He stopped laughing so that he could listen to her laugh. _It's always better the second time around, _he thought.

The three didn't even notice the door fling open and a voice cried, "Oh, my God! How scandalous!"

* * *

**A/N: =3**

**Review, dahhhh-lings? **

**Pizzazz, **

**_xoxoDDLSG _**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, well, thanks for the ideas, but I finally got who would say it. :) I dedicate this chapter to my classmate Antonette Villagomez who volunteered to be a character. You're awesome, girl:) So, continue on, yes? :)**

Kristen Gregory rolled over onto her side and looked at the clock. It was 8:23 in the morning. It was exactly 19 minutes and 23 seconds ago that Judi Lyons—Ma, as they referred her as—had called and said that the Harringtons were back.

"The Harringtons are back from Minnesota!" Judi had shouted into the phone. "We can be the QT Quartet again!"

The QT Quartet was Kendra, Judi, Martha, and Anna Lisa—the "hottest moms around". Anna Lisa was Derrick's mom. They've been the QT Quartet since they met in junior high.

But what Judi didn't know was that she was actually talking to Kristen instead of Martha. Kristen and Martha were always mistaken to be sisters, but that never bothered Kristen. To her, it was flattering that people thought that her beautiful, graceful ballerina of a mother was thought to be the touch and rough Kristen's sister.

Kristen once again rolled over, thinking about Derrick. When he left the summer before middle school, Kristen cried for so many nights and days.

And even if he did leave, Kristen still kept him close to the heart. It was just her way. She couldn't forget someone like Derrick, with his shaggy dirty blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes, and if you add the warm and humorous personality, who would forget him?

But then again, there has only been one time that she actually spoke to Derrick, and that was when he "accidentally" hit Massie's back with a soccer ball back in the fourth grade.

But in the short 33 minutes that they talked to each other, she managed to figure out a few things. Derrick loved soccer, Slice of Heaven, and flirting with girls.

_I should know, _Kristen thought dreamily.

Derrick hated school, liars, posers, and Massie.

Kristen flinched. _Massie, _she thought. Not only was Massie her best friend, but she was also her crush's enemy. But that's exactly what she loved about it. For the first time, she felt a thrill in her life. She wasn't following Massie anymore…

_Not that Massie ever bossed us around. Unlike that Skye chick, Massie's always been nice. _

She groaned and rolled over onto her back. "This is impossible!" she yelled.

Her mom was at the country club, so she could do whatever she wanted. She bolted up quickly in bed and gasped. Her long blonde hair flowed down and she winced. She knew what she wanted to do.

For the first time on a Sunday, she had something else to do other than kick her soccer ball on her wall. She scrambled out of her bed and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was up in different directions and her clothes were all rumpled. She rolled her eyes at herself. She didn't feel like being nice, but seriously? _Derrick Luke Harrington _was back, and there was no way that Kristen was going to see him looking like a total hobo. But she didn't want to give off the impression that she cleaned herself up for him.

"Ugh, even more complications," she groaned.

She looked around her and found a light gray knit sweater and pulled it on. She stared at her light wash flared jeans and shrugged. She saw her brush near her computer and grabbed it. She ran it through her hair, untangling a few knots, and hitched it up into a bun, sticking decorated sticks into it to keep it in place.

She looked at herself again and saw a presentable enough woman facing her. Smiling, she slid her feet into her black and purple Pastry shoes. She ran out the door and into Glen's room. Glen was the family driver. Lucky for her, he was inside watching Desperate Housewives.

"Why, hello, Miss Gregory, what can—"

"No time! I need you to drop me off at Claire's place, now!" she hurried. Kristen knew that she didn't have to be so fast, but she couldn't wait to see Derrick. And besides, Glen was always very fond of Claire's sweetness, so why not take advantage of it?

And right before her eyes, Glen went from comfy to father mode. "What?" he asked, turning off the TV and putting on his black coat. "Jesus, what's wrong with Claire?" He rushed out the room, grabbed the keys from his pocket, and dashed out of the apartment, leaving Kristen to lock the door.

After locking it, she followed Glen to the elevator, but he had already gone in, so she had to wait for it again.

Kristen rolled her eyes. When she finally got to the bottom floor and out onto the parking lot, Glen was close to driving away.

Kristen sighed, ran to the car, and hopped in.

In about 25 minutes, they reached Claire's house. It usually took about an hour, two hours tops—if there was traffic—but Glen was speedy, and it was at least to Kristen's advantage.

"Go and get Miss Claire now!" Glen yelled.

Kristen groaned and rolled her eyes. "Claire is fine. No one's hurt. I'll call you when I need you, bye!" she said rapidly.

She slammed the door in Glen's face and Kristen's Kia Borrego and sat there idling a few minutes before it left. On her walk up the driveway, she heard her name being yelled.

It was definitely unfamiliar, so Kristen hesitated a little before turning around. She saw Josh Hotz and Antonette Villagomez walking hand in hand together. She smiled affably, but wondered why Josh called her name. They barely even knew each other.

Antonette was a pretty girl who came from an island somewhere in the Pacific. Her naturally tan skin was still intact, and her long dark brown hair was placed beautifully around her head, framing it perfectly. Antonette was short, very short for a 16 year-old. Kristen was a giant compared to her.

Seeing them up close, Kristen tried to contain her laughter. Josh was taller than Kristen, and she was 5'9". That meant that Josh mounted over Antonette by at least two feet. That must've made it awkward for Josh if he wanted to kiss her.

Kristen walked back down the driveway, meeting up with them. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hi," Josh greeted back.

Antonette just smiled a tiny, glossy smile.

The three stood there awkwardly, glancing around them.

Josh decided to break the awkward silence. "So, what are you doing here at Claire's?"

Kristen blinked. "Uh, Derrick Harrington is back, didn't you hear?"

Josh's face didn't seem to change. "As in the shorts kid?" he asked, feigning confusion. Derrick was his best friend, he couldn't forget him.  
Kristen nodded, wondering if Josh had just forgotten his best friend.

"Oh. Yeah, he emailed me a few hours ago. Uh, so you're here to see Claire why, then?"

"'Cause she's my secret undercover goat," Kristen spat sarcastically.

Antonette raised an eyebrow.

Kristen rolled her eyes.

Josh smiled at Kristen's witty sarcasm. He always knew she was witty. It was evident from the fact that Massie and Claire seemed to laugh a lot.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go and visit her now. Uh, see you." Kristen turned around with both of her feet and strolled up the driveway again.

Antonette gripped onto Josh's muscular arm and tugged. "Let's go," she whined quietly.

Josh was transfixed by Kristen. She was beautiful and smart, but didn't give a damn about the world. She probably wouldn't have cared if Antonette stripped her clothes off and ran down the street.

_I wouldn't mind, _he thought deviously, staring down at Antonette.

He winced, and then rolled his eyes. "We need to go and visit Claire for a while," he murmured.

Antonette groaned in exasperation. It's not like it mattered what she thought anyway, Josh always led her on. And on. And on.

_Like every other girl out there, _Antonette thought. She was no fool to Josh's moves. She knew he would use her, but that didn't seem to matter, either. To Josh, everything was a game. And Antonette was there just to correct him.

Josh pulled her up the driveway. Kristen was still at Claire's front door, pulling out the sticks from her hair. She let her golden blonde hair flow past her shoulders, and Josh was transfixed by it. He had never in his life seen anyone more beautiful.

She shook her head, letting the golden waves cascade down her back. Josh smiled to himself. _In two months, she would be mine,_ Josh promised himself.

Josh may be the ultimate player, but it wasn't like he wanted to be the player. He only did it because Kristen was in love with Derrick and he wanted to feel loved, too. So, he lost his virginity on his second day in high school to a vulnerable junior. And that's how it went on. He flirted, he gave one date, ignored them, and they'd go running to him for sex.

But the longer he did this, the more he got bored. He lost the chase of the game. He stole 72 girls' virginities.

When girls needed something, they ran to Josh.

Instead of him being the ultimate player in the game, the game was gaming the player.

And he didn't like that game at all.

It was a waste of time.

_My time_, he thought.

Kristen finally opened the door and Josh followed her in, Antonette right next to him. They clomped up the stairs together, their feet almost sounding synchronized. When they reached the top, Antonette cleared her throat. "I don't know who Claire is," she whispered.

Josh rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter anyway."

Kristen led them towards the end of the hall and she opened the huge door. Her eyes widened as she zeroed in on Massie and boy with cute dirty blonde hair.

"Oh, my God! How scandalous!" Antonette accidentally yelped.

_Whoa, _Josh thought.

**Voila! And that was who said it. LoL:) I am so sorry if this was short, but I just wanted Kristen to at least have something, don't you think?**

**Okay, well, this is officially the chapter that is telling you that I am on a SHORT hiatus. I will be back on March 12, I promise:) **

**I'm on hiatus for a few reasons, and I'll list them down:**

**_1_. Smilez014 went on hiatus as well, and I personally volunteered to go on hiatus with her.**

**_2._ I am in the mourning process of Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez's best friendship that is ruined by two devils. Taylor Swift -ew- and Miley -yuckyuckyuck- Cyrus. :) Sorry if you like them. **

**_3_. I have a few new stories that I'll talk about. Their titles are: _Your Guardian Angel, The Way I Loved You, Behind Enemy Lines, Collision of Love, and Almost a Love Story. _They're in order by my writing them. _Your Guardian Angel _is a one-shot that I really, really, really, really hope that you read and review because it's my first one-shot. _The Way I Loved You _has it's preview done, and I'll be posting that up as well, right after I post up the chapter for Hope This Doesn't Hurt. _Behind Enemy Lines _will almost be published... Okay, not really. Technically, the stories right after _The Way I Loved You _haven't been written yet, but I have the ideas and everything. **

**_4_. I'm going to Guam! But that's still on March 18. I'll be back on March 24, and I have no idea why I'm telling you all of this since it's only a week. :) March 18 is still far far far away, so yeah. :)**

**Uh, so yeah... I say that a lot, but yeah. LoL, sorry. Thanks again for reading this and hopefully you reviewed it. I'm sorry for this long AN, but I thought you guys would need to know what's the haps. So, please, review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Yay! I'm back from my extremely short hiatus:) Well, over my hiatus, I actually got a few more ideas for stories. I will tell you about them at the bottom. Oh, and did anyone watch Dear John? I watched it and all, and I cried like shizz. Oh, and Dez? Now I get why MBJ hates the ending. It totally sucked, it did. One of the guys at the movie was like, "Wait, that's it?" And everyone was laughing and I was like, "WTH, we spent 6.50 for that??" And yeah:) Haha:) All right, I've rambled on long enough. Here you go:) **

* * *

Claire twirled around. Kristen stood there, shell-shocked with Josh Hotz and some girl. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. She was glad that a distraction came along.

"Hi," Claire chirped.

Kristen's blonde eyebrows crinkled together, and her dark green eyes said it all. She was hurt.

Derrick sheepishly grinned and pulled himself off of Massie. He flipped his head so that his hair moved from his eyes.

Massie sighed and remembered that Chris had soccer practice with Dempsey today.

She was supposed to be watching him…

Cheering him on…

Flirting with him...

Sitting in his lap…

Kissing him…

Massie was too busy daydreaming to notice that she went under Claire's covers and that Claire's pillow was soaked.

"Massie? Mass… Claire told me what happened. Please come out from there. Plovert's an ass. Massie," Kristen pleaded. She was sitting at the foot of the bed, stroking the duvet. "Come on. It's a new day."

"Bull," Massie grunted.

Kristen sighed. "Massie—"

"No!" Massie yelled, kicking her feet. She even kicked off the bed.

"Massie!" Claire shouted. She ran to Kristen's side and helped her up.

"I'm good," Kristen muttered.

Massie continued with the kicking, leaving Claire and Kristen worried. Derrick rolled his eyes, but inside, he was envious. There she was, throwing a tantrum over her boyfriend.

_Ex-boyfriend, _he corrected himself.

Massie finally stopped kicking and Antonette breathed, "Finally."

Massie sobbed from under the duvet. "Plovert's a bitch and Rivera's a slut. All they need is a good whore. You think Skye is available right now?"

"I never liked Skye," Antonette cheeped.

Claire turned her head around and stared questioningly at the girl. She was sure that she had only come this school year, and it was only October. _How on earth could she know about Skye?  
_

_Then again, everyone knows Skye, _Kristen concluded, as if she and Claire were having a mental conversation.

"Who said that?" Massie asked.

_Aw, crap, _Josh thought.

Antonette let go of Josh's hand and walked deeper into the room. "Me," she tweeted.

"Who's that?" Massie asked.

"Uh, Antonette. Antonette Villagomez," she swiftly answered.

"Well, Miss Villagomez ," Massie stated in a demanding voice. "I want you to sit by me. Everyone can leave the room."

"What?" Claire and Kristen shrieked.

Derrick and Josh were already out of the room.

Antonette gulped, unsure. _Maybe, _she thought. _If I can help Massie, I can help Josh. _

Claire sighed and Kristen stormed out of the room.

"I—what—how can I…" Antonette trailed off. She was uncomfortable in Massie's presence.

"Why do you hate Skye?" Massie squeaked.

Antonette sighed in relief. She sat down next to Massie and opened her mouth. For the next two hours, Antonette chattered happily with Massie intently listening.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"What do you think they're doing up there?" Kristen asked, a slight impatience in her tone.

"Probably making out," Josh said, his voice dreamy.

Derrick nearly choked. "Shut up, man," he sputtered.

Josh chuckled. "I was just kidding, dude. Jeez."

"Yeah, well watch how you kid."

Josh rolled his eyes and turned to Kristen. She was watching Derrick with an intense stare, her green eyes hardening.

Josh sighed. Why was it that the most beautiful girl didn't even notice him?

_I know that I don't look horrible, _he conceitedly thought. He had long dark eyelashes that framed his dark brown eyes. His dark brown hair fit for the perfect structure of his head and his muscles made girls swoon.

Claire was sitting next to Derrick. "So, you play any sports?" she asked conversationally.

Derrick nodded. "I play soccer and I'm pretty good at lacrosse, but soccer is my main thing." He zoned out and then laughed at a memory of Massie falling down while kicking a soccer ball.

Claire furrowed her eyebrow. "What's so funny?" she asked.

But before he could say anything, someone was yelling Derrick's name repeatedly. It was coming from outside. Everyone was looking at the door when Cam Fisher's jean-clad legs appeared, then his whole entire body. He surveyed the kitchen and finally found an ecstatic Derrick jumping out of his chair.

"Dude!" they both exclaimed.

They man-hugged and seconds later, Josh joined them, reuniting the long-lost best friends. They were engrossed in a conversation of the sports teams.

Kristen and Claire glared at the trip angrily. They were both thinking the same thing.

_I'll make Derrick mine. _

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Massie chuckled form under her bed covers. _This Antonette girl is pretty funny, _she thought.

Antonette Villagomez was laughing at the idiocy of Skye Hamilton's group. "I mean seriously, the Pretty Committee? The _Puh-retty Kuh-mittee_? Who can stand doing that? Who can stand being named that?"

Massie nodded her agreement.

After Antonette's laughter died down, Massie whispered, "Thanks."

Antonette stared at the spot that would be Massie's head. "For?"

"For being here. You're the only person who I can really talk to this about."

She giggled. "It's okay, Massie. That Chris guy doesn't sound so nice anyway."

Massie's eyes watered. "To tell you the truth, he was a perfect boyfriend. He always told me that he loved me. He did so many things so that I could be happy. Everything was perfectly fine until yesterday. I don't know what happened."

Antonette raised an eyebrow. "Well, was he distant in the past few days before the… yeah?"

Massie pondered this question. _No, he definitely wasn't, _she thought. "No," she murmured.

"You don't sound sure. Are you sure?" Antonette pressed.

"Yes, of course I am. Right?" Massie was confident at first and mid-sentence, she got confused.

"Was he, like, I don't know, distant over time?"

Massie considered her question. _Over the past few days, he was pretty distant. _They were supposed to eat dinner on Thursday, but Chris cancelled. He said he had some "business" to take care of.

"Was he?" Antonette, who Massie soon acknowledged as a friend, asked.

"I guess he was…"

"So then maybe you should've seen this coming. You were just…"

"Don't say in denial."

"And why not?"

"Because a, I'm in Westchester, not Egypt, and b, I'm never in denial!"

"You are now and you were a few days ago."

"No! I'm not!"

"Yeah, you kinda are."

"No, I'm kinda not."

"Yes, you sorta are."

"No, I sorta are not!

"Wow, not only are you in denial, you have bad grammar."

Massie's nostrils flared and she threw the covers off her body. She sat upright in bed and glared straight at Antonette. "You know, for someone so tiny, you can be so annoying."

"Hey, that's what Edward said to Alice. But it was in a different phrase, something else. But thanks, that's a compliment for me."

Massie arched an eyebrow. "Why? Are you mental or something?"

If Antonette was offended, she didn't show that she was. "Yeah, only sometimes, though."

"So, a mental werewolf?"

"Can't I be a vampire?"

Massie gaped at her. "Why, because they sparkle? Because they're beautiful?"

"No, because they have special power," Antonette deadpanned.

Massie stared at her with her eyebrows near her hairline.

Antonette busted out laughing and practically fell of her bed. The corners of Massie's lips trembled until she started chortling along with her. Massie hadn't laughed so hard in her life. Even with Claire and Kristen, she had never laughed like that.

Soon, tears were streaming down their faces. "Oh, my gawsh, I've never laughed so hard before," Antonette said through giggles.

Massie nodded. "I hate Twilight, though."

Antonette's jaw dropped and her giggles died down "What?" she screeched.

"I mean, it's great and stuff, but seriously, people aren't... Like… Take Dear John for example. Not a lot of teens knew about Nicholas Sparks until 'super sexy' Channing Tatum was shown in the trailer. Now all the girls in Briarwood love Nicholas Sparks. Bt in my opinion, they love Channing Tatum."

"I don't get it… What are you then?"

"I am Massie, place me in the mammalian category."

Antonette rolled her eyes. "What team are you on?"

Massie half-smiled. "Team Will Blakelee."

Antonette's face scrunched up. "Who the hell is that? Can you stop being so weird?"

Massie's jaw dropped. Now she was the mental one?

Antonette twiddled with her fingers for a little while before she peered up at Massie. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Massie closed her mouth and stared at Antonette. "Accepted."

Antonette breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good, I don't like it when people hold grudges against me."

"I'm not very fond of people who hold grudges against me, either."

Antonette nodded as if she understood. "I totally got it. But why should you be afraid? You're pretty much an anti-social freak."

Massie opened her mouth a little, but Antonette was already jabbering on. "I don't think you're an anti-social freak, other people do. You're a super cool girl, Mass, and it'd be my honor to be your friend."

Massie was flabbergasted. _This girl was definitely someone different. She could possibly change my world. Change all of our worlds, _she thought.

"Well, anyway… I think you need some fresh air."

As a joke, Massie inhaled deeply and sighed. "Ah, fresh air. The fruit of life." She grinned.

Antonette rolled her eyes and giggled. "No, I mean to forget about Plaw-vert," she drawled, mispronouncing his last name.

Massie laughed. "Antonette, you're really cool."

Antonette made a face. "You know, just because one guy made you cry, it doesn't mean that you can go all lesbian on me."

Massie laughed. "Yuck, if I were a lesbian, I'd want someone taller."

Antonette laughed along with her. "I should be tall. Milk doesn't even help."

"Uh-huh, we should sue the people that said milk improves your growth."

"Mm-hm, we should."

"You know what else we should do?"

"Yeah. Get you some air!" Antonette jerked around until she finally caught Massie's foot. She dragged her off the bed and Massie screamed. "Oh, stop being such a whiner!"

"Nette, stop! Okay! Just let go of me! Stop it!" she yelled.

"Only if you wear what I give you."

"Whatever! Jeez, you'd think I was Harriet Tubman." Massie stood up and adjusted her wrinkled clothes.

Antonette walked over to her pink Roxy bag. She pulled out black skinny jeans and a blue tube top. She threw it to Massie's awaiting arms.

She inspected them and made a disgusted face. "I don't wear these things. And they won't fit. You're too short for me."

Antonette rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. Put on the tube top over that tank top. Yeah, like that. See, the straps work perfectly for it. Uh, pull off those shorts. Don't worry, we're exactly the same size. Yeah, see! Perfect fit. Yeah, that will totally get guys hollerin'." She smiled smugly and folded her arms across her chest.

Massie looked down and realized that she and Antonette practically looked the same, but her hair was in a high ponytail, her bangs were loose to the side of her face and she had on black boots. I sighed, "Can I at least wear a jacket?"

Antonette tilted her head. "Yeah, can you also fix your make-up?"

Massie crinkled her nose. "I don't wear make-up. Sorry."

"No need to be. Can't you at least wear eyeliner and lip gloss?"

Massie rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Mm-hmm." She dug into her pink Roxy bag and brought out a pink tube of lip gloss and black eye liner. She tossed it to Massie.

She caught it with ease and glared at them with disgust. "Do I have to?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Are you serious?"

"Mm-hmm."

"If you were my friend, you'd let me grieve."

"Mm-hmm."

"Stop mm-hmm'ing!"

Antonette stared at Massie and smirked. "Mm-hmm."

* * *

**And there you have it, folks! I know it's not that good, but it's just a sort of filler-ish-ish, if you get my drift:) **

**Anyway, don't you just love how random Antonette is? I based that part on me and my friends' and our conversations and pulled out a couple of things and edited and deleted and yeah:) **

**So, I was actually wondering if any of you people read Flyer2012's Rescue You? It's 'cause she redid it and it's not showing up anywhere, and some of the other stories aren't showing up either, so I was like, yeah... Okay, wow, I can't read this? So I died a little there:) **

**I forgot what I else I had to say... Oh, yeah, thanks for all the reviews and whatnot! Oh, I just remembered what I was gonna say:)**

**Okay, some of you know that I went on hiatus, correct? Well, on the AN, it listed my stories. Over time, I totally changed it. So, this is how I'm writing it. **

**_Your Guardian Angel_ - It's done:) I'm currently typing it and I just realized that it's like a million pages long:) So it might just end up a two-shot, I don't know. Main characters are: Massie, Derrick, Cam and Dylan. There are lots of deaths, so you'll be like, "Damn, girl, you're freaking emo or what?" But I'm not:) I just thought it'd be better that way. **

**_Behind Enemy Lines _- Currently writing it, but I'm thinking of changing the name, I don't know. The title just doesn't have what I need. So it'll be Behind Enemy Lines, but towards the middle, when I find a new title, I'll change it. If that's possible... I don't know yet, see???? So, I probably _won't _post it up until I finally get a better title. I need Dez's help on that:) Main characters: Massie, Derrick, Kristen, Kevin Block **

**_The Way I Loved You - _This will take a while because of the fact that I just found out that someone else has this title:) So, I need to change the title:) **

**_The Middle - _All I have to say is: It's a Massington:) But if you hate them, please don't mind it and read it, okay? That'd make me sooo happy:) **

**I have more, but I think that you're probably dead on the other side of the screen. I have other things I need to say, but I feel as if I said too much already. Okay, if it's no big deal, can you please review? That'd make me very happy:) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Dedicated to Charles for wanting to be a character in this story:) Thanks, dude, you're the best:)  
**

* * *

"Why do I have to do this?" Massie whined.

"Be-cuhz!" Antonette answered.

"Smooth answer," Kristen grumbled.

Claire grinned appreciatively. "Why does she have to do this?" she asked. The seven teens—Antonette, Derrick, Josh, Claire, Cam and Massie—were in Starbucks where Antonette had instructed Cam to drive them. Antonette, Massie, Claire and Kristen were near the restrooms. Derrick, Josh and Cam were near the entrance door.

"I still don't get it," Derrick grunted in anger. He didn't want to be in Starbucks, let alone be in Starbucks with all these people. Right now, all he wanted to do was hold Massie in his arms forever…

"Dude. Dude," Josh interrupted.

Derrick shot him an aggravated scowl which Josh returned. "What?" he hissed.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Nothing, you just looked like you smelled Massie's hair."

"What?" Derrick said, his voice two octaves higher.

"What?" Cam asked, slipping himself between the two boys.

"Nothing," Derrick muttered.

Josh narrowed his eyes slightly and dropped his head. "No, it's not nothing," he practically growled.

Derrick ignored him, but Cam couldn't help but ask what was wrong.

"It's just the fact that Derrick here still loves Massie," Josh pointedly said.

Cam just nodded. "I'd be more surprised to hear him not be in love with her."

Derrick sighed. "I'm not in love with her, okay?" he whispered.

Josh and Cam skeptically stared at Derrick and then turned to each other. "Ninety bucks says they end up together," Cam and Josh simultaneously said.

"Hey, I said it first!"

"No, I did!"

They glared at each other menacingly until Claire came bouncing over.

"Wow, I only thought that happened in movies," she jabbed.

"Apparently, Josh and Cam _are _a movie," Derrick said.

Claire giggled. _Oh, my gosh, Claire. Stay cool. He's actually talking to you.  
_

Cam stared at Claire. No one knew that he liked Claire, maybe even loved. He's kept this a secret when he first met Claire in the seventh grade, back when Derrick had moved.

_But obviously, she had taken a liking towards Derrick, _he thought. He bit his bottom lip and looked away.

"So…" Claire said, trying to start off a conversation. "Is Minnesota cool?"

Derrick was staring at Massie who was chuckling about something with Kirsten and Antonette.

Without thinking, Claire reached out and poked his ribs. He looked her way, a wary smile on his face. "Huh?"

"I asked you if Minnesota was cool," Claire repeated.

"Oh, yeah, that place. Yeah, I guess so."

Claire nodded. "I've heard that it gets really cold there. Did it remind you a lot of Westchester?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Wish you could've gone to a warmer place, then?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Massie flipped her hair.

"Derrick, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Massie looked behind her and smiled at Derrick.

His eyes widened and he looked away. Away to Claire's frozen face. Her navy blue eyes were lighter and her lips were parted. She broke out into a grin and hugged Derrick. "I know just what we can do," she murmured.

Derrick, still in a trance, stared at Massie's face: eyebrows slightly knit together, lips pursed, hurt in her eyes. But the weirdest thing—he felt it. He felt what she felt; betrayal, concern, awkwardness… Hurt… Love.

Massie swallowed and turned away. _Why was Claire hugging Derrick? Wait a minute, why do I even care? Ugh, where's Chris? Oh, wait, no, I can't think about him either. Ugh. La, la, la, la, la! _Massie bobbed her head to the light tune and smiled.

Next to her, Kristen was seething with anger. _Why did Claire hug Derrick? What is up with her? How could she betray me? She knows that I like him! What the hell!  
_

"I need to go and do something," she muttered. She turned away and speed-walked to Derrick.

"Okay, so all you have to do is get a guy's phone number," Antonette said.

Massie's jaw dropped slightly. "But why?" she whined.

"Because I said so. And you need to see your true potential. Chris isn't the only guy on earth."

Massie's heart cracked at the mention of Chris's name. _Chris is such a jerk. Why bother crying over him? We're so over.  
_

Massie inhaled. "Fine. I'll do it."

Antonette smiled. "Good. Cute guys at three o'clock."

Massie turned around. Sure enough, three guys were at a table. Unfortunately, two of them had girls giving them numbers. Once the two slutty girls left, the two of them walked out, too. Massie sighed. "What's the chance that I get him?"

Antonette peered at the singly guys at the table. "Ooh, I like that guy. Go get him, kid."

"Do you even know him?"

"No, do you?"

"I don't know… He looks familiar, though. So you don't know him, right?"

"No… but he's cute."

"Ish?"

"Ish," Antonette agreed.

Massie sighed. "Whatever. Just his number, though, right?"

"Yeah. But don't you think he's gonna want to go out with you, too?"

"Yeah, maybe…"

"This is really stupid. Just go to him, okay?" Massie rolled her eyes. Inching forward, she gulped. _I can do this, I can do this. All I have to do it walk forward, flirt a little. Nothing too big. Just walk. _

"What is she doing?" Derrick asked Kristen. The five teen situated themselves on table nine, five tables away from where Massie was standing. Cam sat next to Josh who sat next to Claire who sat next to Kristen who sat next to Derrick. Kristen and Claire followed Derrick's gaze.

Massie was sitting across a guy with jet black hair and blue-gray eyes. They were both laughing, both looking like they were having a good time.

Kristen raised her eyebrows. "I'm not surprised. Massie always has guys hitting on her. She's a freaking guy magnet."

"Don't be so mean. She doesn't get all guys," Claire noted. _She didn't get Derrick. _

Kristen scoffed, "Yeah, she kind of does. Remember Connor Dale?"

This sparked Derrick's interest. "Who's that?"

"Connor Dale is—was—the hottest junior at Briarwood."

"Was?"

"Yeah, was. That's 'cause you came along," Claire flirted. _Hey, I could get used to this. _

Derrick emptily stared at Claire, whose cheeks were now burning. _I can't get used to that, though. _Kristen rolled her eyes. Cam's nostrils flared and he gripped the edge of the round table until his knuckles turned white. "He's a senior now, right?" Josh asked.

Kristen smiled at Josh. "Yeah, he is." Josh smiled back. He was able to catch her eye for a while, until she turned back to Derrick. Josh gritted his teeth together. "Well, moving on, Allie-Rose Singer used to be Massie's friend," Kristen continued.

"Yeah, we were all pretty close, too," Claire added, just to make sure Derrick knew she was social.

"And then Massie met Connor."

"More like Connor saw Massie and fell instantly in love with her," Claire teased.

Kristen chuckled. "Whatever. Anyway, Connor met Massie at the Halloween dance. They hit it off pretty well and even secretly dated."

"Yep, she's scandalous," Josh muttered.

Derrick kicked him from under the table. He flinched but continued to listen.

"Anyway, Connor and Massie really liked each other, but Allie-Rose told us that she liked Connor."

"And then?"

"Massie broke it off with Connor, even though she really liked him."

"And then?" Derrick pressed.

"And _then _Allie-Rose tried to date him but all he wanted to do was see Massie," Cam continued. Kristen and Claire looked at him.

"How do you know that?" Claire inquired.

"Harris."

Kristen's eyes widened. "Harris is your older brother?"

Cam nodded, duh written all over his face.

"Okay, back to Massie," Derrick demanded.

"You guys are talking about Massie behind her back?" Antonette asked. She pulled a chair from the next table and sat next to Derrick.

"No. Just talking about her past love life," Derrick hurriedly said. "What did Connor do next?"

Kristen gulped. _Should I talk about Massie with Antonette here? Can we trust her? _

"You can trust me. Massie and I are friends now," Antonette said, as if she read Kristen's mind.

"Whatever," she sighed.

"Can you _please _tell me about Connor?" Derrick begged.

Cam rolled his eyes and elbowed Josh lightly. He looked his way and shrugged just enough so that only Cam could see it.

"Derrick, why do you even need to know?" Claire asked.

Antonette pulled out her customized pink-with-purple-crystals iPhone. She had a new text message from Charles, her gay best friend.

**Charles: **

**Hey, chicka! I'm w/ Justin. Where can we meet u? **

Antonette smiled at the message. Charles always knew how to make Antonette laugh, and right now, she needed a good laugh.

**Antonette: **

**Meet me Starbucks. Around people. And hurry, ok? =P**

She sent that and listened to the conversation.

"So Connor admitted his love for Mass, but she moved on. It definitely wasn't easy. Now Allie-Rose hangs with the other cheerleaders," Kristen finished.

"And what about Connor?"

"He still loves her."

"How do you know?"

Claire cleared her throat. Kristen shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Cam sighed, exhaling from his nose. Josh pressed his lips together. Antonette and Derrick exchanged confused glances.

"You know the guy that she's sitting with?" Josh asked slowly.

"Yeah…" Derrick hesitantly answered, afraid of what was coming next.

"That's Connor," Claire finished.

Derrick's jaw dropped. Antonette's lips parted. There was complete silence around the table. "Are you lying?" Derrick asked, silently hoping that they were.

Each one of them shook their head. This information gnawed at Derrick's insides. _Massie actually had a love life. Massie is a guy magnet. Guys probably tried to kiss her all the time. Or worse…  
_Derrick imagined guy after guy after guy try and cop a feel.

"It's not like it matter, you know," Claire muttered angrily.

"Yes, it does matter."

"In what way?" Antonette pressed. She had always known that Derrick had a thing for Massie. She saw it in the way he looked at her, especially when she saw him over her earlier that morning.

Derrick glanced her way. "It just does, okay? I'm her best friend!"

Claire nearly fell off her chair. Kristen furrowed her eyebrows. Josh and Cam nearly busted out laughing. Antonette sat there, a small smile Krazy-glued to her face. Derrick Harrington was going to break soon. And Antonette was going to make sure he broke because of her.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Massie laughed at Connor's impression of Squidward from SpongeBob Squarepants. "That was horrible," she chuckled.

Connor laughed along with her. "I know, but you looked like you needed a laugh."

She nodded. "Was it that obvious?"

"No," he lied. "Just the fact that you were stuttering over your words and that your eyes are red gave me the illusion that you were angry at something."

"More like someone."

"Oh."

"Yep."

"The dude you dated after me?" Connor half-smiled.

Massie nodded. "He cheated on me."

He nodded understandingly, sympathy in his eyes. "Lemme guess. Skye Hamilton?"

She shook her head.

"Olivia Ryan?"

She shook her head again.

"Dylan Marvil?"

Shake.

"Livvy Collins?"

Shake.

"Alexandra Regan?"

Shake.

He blew out his cheeks.

"Give up?" she asked.

He quickly shook his head. "No. Is it Nina Callas?"

She smiled. "Close."

"How close?"

She rolled her eyes and giggled. "Second cousins close."

Connor raised an eyebrow and then smiled. And then he frowned. His eyes glazed over with anger. "Alicia Rivera?"

Massie bit her lip and nodded slowly. "Ding, ding, ding."

There was silence for a minute. Then two minutes. Two minutes and thirty seconds. Two minutes and forty-three seconds.

"Are you okay?" he asked slowly.

"Yes."

"Not angry?"

"A little," Massie hesitated.

"Oh."

More silence. It felt like hours before Connor smiled and asked, "What's your number?"

Massie breathed a sigh of relief. She gave him her number which he gladly returned with his own. "I need to go now," he admitted.

Massie's lit up insides came crashing down. She was having such a wonderful time with her ex-boyfriend. _And since Allie-Rose is dating Maxwell Thompson…  
_

"Massie?" Connor waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you alright?"

Massie, dazed, look him in the eye and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for today, Connor. I missed you."

Connor smiled softly. "Ditto." He stood up and Massie followed him. Hey grinned and hugged each other. "I'll be calling you," he whispered into her hair.

"Good. I'll be waiting for it," she murmured back. It was exactly like when they first started dating. It felt like the world was better again. Like it was right again.

They let go of each other, Connor's hand still entwined with hers. His eyes lingered on her face for seconds too long, but not long enough for Massie. "I really have to go now," he said.

"Okay. Bye."

He didn't move for another five seconds until Derrick came and wrapped his arm around Massie's shoulder.

_What the hell?  
_

"Hey, I'm Derrick," he introduced.

Connor finally let go of Massie's hand. "Hey," he nodded. He jammed his hands into his pockets. "I'm Connor."

Derrick nodded. "I know, I know."

Massie's nostrils flared. "Derr-_ick_," she said through clenched teeth, "what are you doing?"

Derrick tightened his grip on Massie's shoulder. "What are you talking about, babe?"

Massie's heart skipped seven beats. She thought she was going to die. _Since when was I Derrick's babe? _

"So you guys are together?" Connor asked awkwardly.

"No," Massie stated.

"Yes," Derrick announced at the same time.

Massie widened her eyes. She directed a glare to Derrick who half-smiled comfortably.

"Massie?"

"Yeah, Connor?" Massie replied, staring him right in the eyes.  
Her piercing amber eyes caused Connor to look away. He stared at her nose. "I think I really need to go now."

"Oh… Okay. But, we're not together. I mean, I just broke up with Chris, so how can we be together, right?"

Connor nodded once, his jaw clenched. He turned around and left.

"Jerk, much?" Derrick asked.

Massie wriggled out of his grip. "It depends on who you're asking," she growled.

Derrick look taken aback. "If I said him?"

Massie cocked her head sweetly. "I'd say he was utterly nice and I'd love it if he called me."

"And if I said me?"

Massie straightened her head and sneered her answer. "You are an annoying brat that I hate so much and would love to kill."

Derrick's heart shattered into pieces. _But I only did it because l love you! I care about you! If you only know how I feel. If only you know how much it hurts to hear about all these boyfriends in your life. God, Massie, don't you see my feelings for you?  
_

"So what, Derrick?" Massie asked. "What are you gonna do about it, huh?"

"Do about what?"

Massie shook her head. "Derrick Luke Harrington, my presence here on October 18, 2009 at 2:36 PM officially vindicates my hatred towards you. Goodbye." Massie, with tears in her eyes,turned on her heel and ran out of Starbucks.

Claire and Josh trotted over. "What happened, dude?"

"Where's Massie going?" Claire asked.

Derrick stood there, staring at the empty space Massie had just passed by. He wasn't surprised that Massie ran away. She always did. He was surprised because he knew why she was running away.

* * *

**AN: :)**

**Was that good? I thought that everything in this happened too fast. Is it happening too fast? I don't want it to happen too fast. Hmm... Anyway, please please please read BEHIND ENEMY LINES after this because I'm finally posting it up! Yes, I'm happy for it, too. It's not like it's two chapters, just the trailer and if I get at least six reviews, then I'll put on the next chapter. And I'm sorry, Desiree, it's just that I wanna try and say that! Don't you just love Connor? He's really sweet, I love him! But Derrick and Cam and Josh can kick his ass anytime(= **

**Oh, and remember in the trailer of this story, I said that Cam has dark brown hair? Haha, my mistake! I'm changing that to jet-black hair, like Connor. And don't you like Connor's eyes? I know I do!! Heehee;) Well, reviews make me smile :). Buuuuuuut.... **

**LOTS OF REVIEWS ME ME SMILE LIKE THIS :D. **

**Wouldn't you like it if I smiled like that? **

**You do? **

**Then review! **

**(unintentional rhymes rock, huh?)**


	8. Chapter 8

**:)  
**

* * *

Derrick looked at Massie. She looked ravishing with her long curls in a high ponytail, the ends curling. She was wearing a white BCBG blazer and a red Marc Jacobs dress with a band around the waist. You could tell she was uncomfortable in her wardrobe.

"How does it feel being ten years old?" Derrick asked her. They were near the bushes in the backyard of Massie's Northampton mansion. They were being blocked by the three huge apple trees that Jack, the Blocks' gardener, had planted.

Massie looked up at the starry night. Each star glittered back at her.

Derrick stared at Massie's gorgeous face. The white moon shone down on it, making her even more angelic. She was so captivated by the stars. He was so captivated by her. To him, she couldn't get any more perfect.

"Do you ever wonder if that stars get jealous of each other?" Massie asked suddenly.

Derrick chuckled. "Of course not, stupid. Why would they?"

Massie sighed and scooted away.

Derrick debated on moving nearer. He thought not to and to just leave her alone.

"Why do you always insult me?" she asked quietly. "Why do you always call me bad names and do bad things to me?" Massie asked quietly.

Derrick gazed at Massie. _Because I like you_. "Because it's true. I guess. I don't know."

"You do know. Tell me. Please?"

"Why should I?" Derrick dragged, not wanting to tell Massie his true feelings.

"Come on, it can be your gift to me." Massie smiled softly.

"Ew. Then that would mean I'd have to be nice to you forever. I wouldn't like that."

"Come on, Derrick, just tell me and I'll never bug you again." Massie looked up at Derrick with pleading amber eyes.

"No way," Derrick stubbornly said.

She pouted. "Why not? Is it you deepest darkest secret?"

"Yes, it is, so leave me alone."

Massie became quiet after that. Derrick felt bad that he was so mean to her. To be nice, he asked her, "What did you wish for when you blew out your candle?"

She bit her cheek before answering, "I wished for two things, actually."

"Oh? What were they?"

"Why should I tell you?" She turned her head and looked at him.

Derrick was speechless for a moment. He had nothing to say to that. "I didn't say you had to. You don't need to tell me."

"Fine. I won't." Massie turned her head again. She was an extremely stubborn person.

Derrick leaned back. He stared up at the sky, thinking about Massie's wish. _What would a ten-year-old girl wish for?_ He pondered. _A pony? A whole set of Barbies? Or are Polly Pockets in now? Ugh, girls are so complicated. _

"Derrick?" Massie whispered into the cold air.

He snapped back to reality. "Huh?" he answered.

She took a deep breath before saying, "My first wish was that Kristen and Claire to be here. I miss them."

Derrick stayed quiet.

"My second wish was that you'd be nicer to me," she murmured the last wish so that Derrick couldn't hear.

Unfortunately, he did. He pressed his lips together. "What a waste of wishing," he muttered.

"I need to tell you something, Derrick," Massie said softly.

"Why?" Derrick stuttered. "What is it this time?" He hesitated a little because he was scared of what she could say.

Massie inhaled and exhaled deeply, just to get herself calm. Her heart beat raced and her mind was telling her not to tell him. But her heart was screaming louder. In one breath, she managed to say it all. "Derrick, I know that you hurt me because you love me. I can feel it, I can see it. Don't ask me how or why, I just know. So why don't you be a man and tell me how you feel."

Derrick glanced at Massie, then at the ground, then at his hands and back to Massie. _All these years that I thought she thought I hated her, I was wrong. She knows that I love her. She knows how I feel._

"Is it true, Derrick? Is it?" Massie prodded.

Derrick blinked. _What do I say? _

"Well? Is it?"

_It's now or never.  
_

"Come on, Derrick, tell me!"

"No, it's not. I don't love you, stupid. How can you think something stupid like that? God, you're such a dodo." He gulped.

Massie sniffled, a tear escaping her eye. "Let's just forget this whole sorry night ever happened, why don't we?" She stood up, managed to scowl at Derrick and ran away.

Both hearts broke. Like glass, it had cracked. Like an earthquake occurred, it shook. They both had loved each other too deeply. And in fifteen seconds, Massie's vision of Cinderella died.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Massie had turned ten that night. It was the first time she cried on her birthday. Derrick had turned ten three nights before her. She looked up at the sky. Inside, her house was empty. Inez and Isaac both left for the weekend and weren't coming back until the following morning.

Massie was engulfed by her sleeping bag. Watching the stars, she couldn't have felt any better. To Massie, they were the best thing created. They always held the answers for her.

But tonight, the stars gleamed care-free and answerless. "They don't care anymore. No one does," she mumbled to herself.

She re-positioned her arms, folding them over her stomach. Massie was crying over Derrick. All these years, she thought she hated him. She was deeply and madly in love with him.

It was why she cried when saying she hated Derrick. All those times she said it and it felt wrong, it felt wrong because it _was _wrong. So terribly wrong. If only she had seen it earlier.

Then again, she did see it earlier. Letting herself drown in sorrow, she closed her eyes and reminisce the better memories. Memories she'd kill to relive again.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Derrick stared up at the sky, his hands folded behind his head. After Massie told him that she hated him, he buried himself under covers of darkness.

_Does Massie really hate me?  
_

Derrick closed his eyes and pictured the auburn-haired girl smiling and laughing. He had ruined a beautiful love-hate relationship with the most wonderful person created. But then again, it was a mere mistake. He was jealous.

_Okay, yeah. Connor and Massie did date. They had pet names for each other. Kissed with passion. Maybe they even had…  
_

_No. Massie's way too smart. She wouldn't be pressured. And even if she were… Massie's just too smart for that. No way. She's way too smart. It'd be weird… Nah. She's still awkward and stuff.  
_

Derrick sighed. The reason why he was outside was because he had an urge to watch the stars. To see them glittering and calling to each human being like it was destined for them. Like each star was made for one person and one person only.

Derrick remembered a night that he and Massie shared two months after her birthday.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"What are you doing here?" Massie asked Derrick who plopped himself down next to Massie's sleeping bag. "Ew, why are you here, you stupid dingdong."

Derrick rolled his eyes, ignoring the stupidity of her comment. "Nothing, dumb bum. Why are you out here?" He crossed his legs and glanced her way.

"Why do _you_ wanna know?"

"Why are you being so… stubborn now? Two months ago you were so insistent on pestering me with dumbass questions. And now you're so… bleh."

"Yeah, well you've been bleh your whole life, so don't even try and get me out of my stubbornness."

"Ooh, what now, Massie? You think you're so sassy? Well I'll tell you what; you're too classy to be sassy Miss Massie," Derrick teased.

"Well, Derr-_ick, _stop being such a big—"

"Hey, hey, hey, no need to be so touchy."

Massie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"What, no sass?"

Massie narrowed her eyes and glared at Derrick. She craned her neck back and planted her hands on the ground behind her so that she could recline on her arms. Her satin pajamas were soiled with earth.

Derrick always knew she wouldn't care about her clothes. It was one of the reasons why he loved her. Derrick sighed and watched the stars along with Massie.

"Why do you like doing this?"

"What, this?" Massie outstretched her arm to gesture towards the ground around her.

"Yeah. Staring at the stars; I don't get the fun of it."

"Of course there's no fun, stupid. Staring at stars just relaxes me. Like how some people look at water and it calms them. That's how I feel."

Derrick crinkled his nose. "Does listening to music count?"

Massie, who was too engrossed by the glittery shine, nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, it is."

"Then why don't you just do that? It's normal." Derrick tore his eyes away from the dark, flowing sky and looked at Massie, patiently waiting for her answer. Seconds passed before her mouth actually opened.

"Because music has lyrics and a rhythm already made. When you look at stars, one always glows after another one. You make your own beat. You get your own lyrics. But that's not what I love. Music is so loud, so in-your-ears. With stars"—she closed one eye and pointed to three stars that twinkled right after the other—"there's no sound, unless you make it. They're just there to marvel at, to wonder their being. I believe the stars are jealous of one another." She half-smiled softly.

Derrick opened his eyes. He hadn't even noticed that they were closed. "Why do you believe that?"

Massie was silent again. "Only those who believe will understand it on their own." She adjusted her neck to grin at Derrick. "You need to believe." And in a flash, she got up and ran back to her house, sleeping bag flying behind her.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"Okay. Now I believe, I know what you mean," he muttered to himself. And he did. Staring at each star, he searched for something. Something that screamed "Derrick". But there were more than a zillion stars that night. But Derrick wouldn't stop looking. There was a reason why he needed to look for his star.

Because if ever Massie asked him that question, he'd know how to answer.

He'd know exactly how to answer.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Kristen looked at herself in the mirror. Her long honey blonde hair was tangled and her face was red. He soccer clothes were rumpled and one knee seemed to be swollen.

"If I'm going to get Derrick to like me, I'm going to need to change myself," she said to her reflection.

"And how do you suppose you're going to do that?" a husky voice asked from under Kristen's doorway.

Kristen jumped. She turned around and saw her father, Nicholas. "Dad, you don't sneak up on girls like that. You could die, especially if they were holding a hair straightener."

Nicholas laughed. "True, honey, very true. That's how I met your mother."

Kristen raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Nicholas nodded and made his way to Kristen's bed. "Yep. It's true. Your mother wouldn't admit it, though."

"Wait, _she _threw a hair straightener at you?" Kristen asked.

Nicholas laughed. He was a man of tall stature with bright green eyes and a hazel lining of his pupil. He moved from his place under the door. He slowly moved towards Kristen who was sitting on her bed. "It was freshman year of college and your mother was angry at her professor. He had overlooked her debate on Abraham Lincoln. Because Judi was straightening her hair when you mom came in, she dropped it and left it on. Your mom started throwing things out the open window, one of those things the hair straightener which she yanked from the outlet. So she threw it out the window and a devilishly young handsome—"

"Dad!" Kristen groaned, sheepish.

He chuckled and continued. "Well, I was walking a few feet behind the window when it flew out and landed right in front of my right foot. Judi looked out the window and spotted Massie's mom, Kendra. She was with William, of course, when she when she spotted Judi's hair straightener. She rushed over to me, called me a thief and marched me to your mother's room where she said she fell head over heels with me."

"Well, I thought I did," Martha giggled from Kristen's doorway.

Kristen and Nicholas both looked up from where they were. Kristen smiled as Martha flirtatiously walked strutted towards Nicholas. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear. He turned red and his eyes widened.

Kristen wanted that. Someone to flirt with, to hold, to make someone's face red. She wanted what her parents had. And she wanted it with Derrick.

* * *

**AN: :)**

**Perfection? Ugliness? Totally burned your eyes?**

**Well, this is your update:) I'm sorry if my updates aren't so regular, just really busy at school and all (and Dez, don't laugh at that). Anyhoo, thanks to all of you that read and review and alert and _beg _for my updates. Haha, I'm kidding:) Don't think I'm narcissistic, I'm not;) **

**Anway, there's this really funny story that I always seem to think about but only really laughed at it now. I realize that whenever Desiree updates, most everyone that I subscribe to update also. When I checked my inbox, I was like, "Oh, wow, so many stories..."**

**So... Yeah, it's not that funny, but it's just... Yeah. I'm not weird or anything! I'm just... Yeah, okay, I'm weird, but seriously, who isn't?**

**Oh, and Massie is so deep, isn't she? Actually, that's how _I_ feel about stars. I think they're jealous of each other. -shrugs- Oh, and Behind Enemy Lines! Read that also! :) **

**Anyway... I don't know why I'm saying this only now, but I've always meant to say it, but whenever I remember to say it, I always already put up a chapter, so I'm gonna say this now:**

**THIS STORY, HOPE THIS DOESN'T HURT, IS NAWT (heehee) OWNED BY ME AND IS DISCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE STORY. **

**Your welcome, Lisi:) Yeah, she e-mailed me the other day. **

**...**

**Yeah right!! Okay, this is turning into a really long AN and it's extremely rambly (just the way I like it) but I hope you're not dead on the other side of the screen wherever you are reading this. **

**Okay, bye and thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing! :D**

******_xoxoDDLSG _**

******P.S. : Don't be afraid to send me a PM. Unless you really are afraid. Then if you are... Well... That hurts but fine then! :)******


	9. Chapter 9

**"I wanna get back to the old days when the phone would ring and I knew it was you. I wanna talk back and get yelled at. Fight for nothing, like we used to. Oh, kiss me, like you mean it, like you miss me, 'cause I know that you do. I wanna get back, get back with you." --Get Back, Demi Lovato:) **

**Dedicated to ESTF--Samantha--because the suspense was killing her and I don't want her to die without finishing Sweet Revenge:)**

* * *

Massie hopped out of her electric blue convertible. There were circles under her eyes that she tried to conceal. She didn't want people—Kristen and Claire mostly—to worry about her.  
She spotted Kristen, Claire, Derrick, Josh and Cam under their favorite oak tree. Massie crinkled her eyebrows. _This is weird, _she thought. Cam and Josh weren't exactly close to Massie, Kristen and Claire, but there was a point in their lives when they were all friends, excluding Derrick. Massie had gotten over her anger towards him, but she still hated him.

Massie jumped in between Kristen and Claire who were both talking about construction paper.

"No way, neon purple _owns _neon pink!" Kristen exclaimed.

Claire snorted innocently. "Yeah, right. Neon pink can brighten up a whole room. Neon purple scares people, especially kids."

Kristen rolled her eyes. "Please, enlighten me on your theory that neon purple 'scares' kids," Kristen countered, air-quoting the word "scares".

"Okay," Claire said, launching off into babbles.

Massie giggled. This was how they spent their days, fighting about the stupidest things. Massie slid out from in-between them and hopped in front of the boys.

"Hey guys," she happily chirped.

"Massie, tell them to stop. They're bugging the hell out of me," Derrick said.

"Haha, that's how they are. You get used to it. That's what I get for being friends with blondes."

"What did you say?" Kristen and Claire simultaneously asked.

"Nothing," Massie called out innocently.

Cam smiled. Unsurprisingly, she smiled back. She never noticed that he had two different colored eyes. One was green, the other a blue so dark, it resembled green.

Derrick glared at the two with envy in his eyes. _Are they deliberately flirting in front of me? _He rolled his eyes, afterwards, averting them, glancing at Claire who was still fighting with Kristen.

He hadn't noticed, but Claire was extremely pretty in an all-American sweet girl way. She had straight white blonde hair that was shiny and scented with Herbal Essences. From afar, she smelled of strawberries and watermelon.

Derrick had been neighbors with Claire since forever. Was it a fluke that he fell in love with his neighbor's best friend? It probably was. It was an even bigger fluke that he just so happened to have a date with Claire in two days.

Josh elbowed Derrick. "So, did Claire tell you what you were going to do on your date?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm thinking of backing out. I mean, Claire is nice and all, but not my type."

"What's your type then?" Josh asked. "A pretty brunette with amber eyes and a hot, _hot _body?"

Derrick rolled his eyes. "Shut up, man. She might hear you." He punched Josh's arm.

"Don't worry, dude," Cam chimed, slinging his arms around his two best friends. "She walked off with Connor."

Derrick glared at Cam. "Don't lie or I'll punch you." He ducked from under Cam's arm.

He staggered before saying, "She really did go with him. One minute she was with me, the next she was with him. It hurt me a little. Massie's really cool. I think I'm falling for her." Cam grinned.

Derrick almost tackled Cam. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he yelled.

Josh and Cam guffawed. Derrick huffed.

Kristen and Claire came bouncing over, hands entwined. They were laughing at something Kristen said which made Josh's affection grow for her grow even more.

When Claire saw Derrick, she reddened and let go of Kristen's hand. Kristen rolled her eyes.

"Hey Derrick," Claire said.

"Hey Claire," Derrick replied, his tone monotonous.

Cam felt his heart splinter. Was it just him or did his heart sound incredibly loud?

"So, uh, about our date Wednesday…" Derrick tailed off.

Claire's deep blue eyes lit up. "Yeah?" Her lips curled into a smile.

Derrick hesitated. He felt the emotions that played out in the knit of friends. Should he say to cancel on the date and tell her straight on that he didn't like her in _that _way? Or should he lead her on until Massie falls for him? Whichever one he chose would lead to heartbreak for her. _Ugh. I hate this. God, why did I even come back here? _He hesitated. He glanced at Cam's distant face. Josh elbowed Derrick. "Um… I actually wanted to pick you up and bring you somewhere instead. I don't want our first date together to be planned by you. I want to plan it." He gulped. Lead her on it is.

Claire's insides lit up like a Christmas tree. Before she could say anything, a girl with strawberry-blonde hair came up to her. "Hey, Claire. I need you to do a few things for me." Not waiting for an answer, she instantly let the list flow out of her mouth. "For the National Honor Society, we'll be having a Halloween dance. We need someone to stay back and watch the freshmen decorate the gym. Some other sophomores will be there to help so that you don't get lonely and whatnot. We need the decorations, of course. They'll be at Marcy's and all you have to do is pick it up and bring it to the gym. And on that day that you get the decorations, you'll also need to get the tickets for the dance. Those will be at Jim's Ticket Wonder. Will you be able to handle all of that?" Strawberry-blonde's eyes sparkled with fake concern. Her face read "I really hope you can do all of it because I need to hook up with my boyfriend at the dance".

Claire smiled like it was no big deal. "It's no problem at all. I can handle it, no worries about me."

Strawberry-blonde clapped her hands in delight. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. She wrote something on her clipboard and hugged it to her chest.

"Wait," Kristen said. "Isn't the dance _next _Friday?"

Strawberry-blonde's face turned red as a strawberry. She half-smiled and replied, "Yes. It is. I just needed to tell you a few days early." Strawberry-blonde curtsied and speed-walked away.

"Few is an understatement," Cam muttered.

"Agreed," Kristen added.

"No, really, it's okay. I'm used to it," Claire said.

"No, it's not," Cam disagreed.

"Cam, really, it's fine," Claire said.

Cam looked her straight-on with a hard gleam in his eyes. "Yeah, right, Claire," he snapped, venom in his tone. "It's definitely not fine. They shouldn't let you do all the work. You're not the only member of that damn club."

"Chill, Cam," Derrick said.

Cam looked at Derrick like he grew another nose. "I will not _chill_, Derrick. Maybe if you knew how much it sucks for Claire, you'd care more!"

Derrick pressed his lips together. "Cam…"

He let out an exasperated hug and stormed off. On the way, he shoved Massie's arm. She stopped and looked behind her at Cam's fading backpack.

Massie joined the group and stared at each face with her eyebrows slightly raised. "What's the dealio?" she asked, her cheeks flushed.

Kristen knew why her cheeks were flushed. They were colored every after school, when Connor and Massie would meet and make-out. She laughed out loud. She took "LOL" to the next level. "Oh, my God Massie. Are you serious?" She guffawed and slapped her knee.

Looking at her, Josh grinned. Kristen had so much energy and so much love to share. She was exactly his type, he just didn't know about her.

"Kris, what's wrong?" Claire asked.

Kristen shook her head and wiped the tears that escaped from her eyes. "Nothing, nothing," she sniffled. "We should get to class now, guys. Before Massie goes crazy on us." She choked up more laughter. "Oh, Massie," she sighed.

Massie laughed sheepishly. "Before _I _go crazy on you guys?"

Josh's eyebrows were knit together. "What? I don't get it."

"You're not supposed to," Claire said with a smile. She patted his shoulder and walked with them into Briarwood Academy.

Josh and Derrick exchanged confused glances while staying behind the girls. Right as they step foot into the hall, the bell rang, students scattering and people pushing to get to class.

Josh slapped Derrick's hand. "G'luck, D." He nodded and disappeared into the crowd of students. He had lost Massie, who he knew for a fact that was his classmate. He had asked Cam earlier, when he wasn't ballistic. He looked around for Massie and finally saw a spoof of auburn hair close by. He pushed by a few students and reached Massie. "Mass…" he said.

She whirled around. She narrowed her eyes and shoved her way around the hall.

Derrick sighed. If she was going to play that game, he could play it, too. He trailed behind her, desperate not to lose her. Finally reaching their destination, Massie opened the door. Derrick followed right behind her. The class was only half full when they entered.

Automatically, Massie made her way to the back where Derrick tailed along behind her. She took her seat and he followed motion.

"Oh, God," she muttered, irked.

Derrick heard her and worriedly glanced her way. "You okay?" he asked just as students slowly trickled in, filling the class up.

Massie glared at him, an unknown glint in her eyes. "Of course, Derrick," she sweetly snapped. "Why wouldn't I be? I mean, my childhood enemy came back, ruined my life a little yesterday, and is now in every one of my classes. Who wouldn't be okay?" She forced a tight smile and faced the front where Mrs. Hopkins, their first period algebra teacher, was taking their attendance.

The two stayed quiet until Mrs. Hopkins began her lecture. "Okay, students, get out your math textbooks. Today we'll be starting geometry."

A chorus of groans filled the air as each student flipped through their red books and looked for the page that was written on the board.

At the moment Mrs. Hopkins looked away, Derrick leaned towards Massie and asked, "So, you're not okay?"

Massie fumed. Out of all the people that could experience the crap she was going through, it just had to be her. _Maybe I should write to _Seventeen _magazine. They'd know what to do, _she thought.

Mrs. Hopkins wrote something on the board, and as the chunky woman she was, her arm jiggled. Massie restrained from rolling her eyes at the students who giggled about it.

Just as she started copying the notes into her notebook, a folded-up piece of paper landed on her notebook. She looked up, aggravated amber meeting warm brown. An electric eel zapped through her body, jolting her out of her aggravation. With Derrick staring at her, goosebumps came to forming on her arms, her neck, her legs and places she didn't know had that power to prick.

A warm sensation flooded Derrick as the cold in her amber eyes disappeared. Massie had always been gorgeous to him, but at that very instant, when they locked eyes, he felt like the luckiest man alive to even be looking at her.

Massie tore her eyes away first, leaving Derrick in a confused daze. Maybe she didn't want to, though. But it was necessary. She didn't want to send the wrong message. She unfolded the piece of loose leaf paper and read what she could of Derrick's smudgy inky writing.

**Massie, I'm so bored with this school.  
--Derrick. **

She raised an eyebrow at his bluntness. Was it really necessary to be so straight forward? She scrawled something back and folded it up angrily.

_Then why don't you go back to Minnesota—where you belong? _

Okay, so it was a little harsh. He had started it. If he wasn't so mean to his new school, maybe _she_ wouldn't be so mean. Besides, she was only defending her school.

_Defending your school_, a tiny voice said in her brain, _or defending your heart_? Massie dismissed the voice by waving her hand near her ear, like it was just supposed to disappear. But the voice's taunting question ran in her ear like lyrics to a song you couldn't get out of your head.

_Defending your school or defending your heart?  
_

_Defending your school or defending your heart?  
_

_Defending your school or defending your heart?  
_

It slowly changed to something else that scared her even more.

_Derrick or Connor?  
_

_Derrick or Connor?  
_

_Derrick or Connor?  
_

Derrick arched a dark blonde eyebrow at Massie's strained face and wrote,

**Mass, I was only kidding. No need to be so harsh. I just wanted to start a conversation. **

He tossed it on her desk. He studied her never-ending emotional face. It was like watching a roller coaster: cold, down; soften slightly, up; confused, cold, contemplation, a big loop.  
_Conversation? _she thought. _What sort of conversation would he want? "Hey, Derrick. Hope you had a good morning. Oh, by the way, I hate you." _ _God, Derrick, you're still as stupid as ever. _She scribbled something and passed it back to him without bothering to fold it closed.

_Conversation? Me and you? Yeah, I'd rather lick poo off a baby's butt than try and have an intelligent conversation with you. _

He half-smiled. The Massie that he loved, the feisty, tough, in-your-face Massie was coming back. After writing his response, he gave the paper over to her.

**Hypocrite. You're the one talking about having an intelligent conversation when clearly you'd rather talk about crap. **

Her eyebrow curved, she scribbled her response.

_See, Harrington. It takes a person that's so full of crap to notice crap. Good going, Mr. Douche Bag. _

For the rest of the period, the two exchanged messages, funny, stupid, mean, mushy. Three pieces of paper later, this was how their conversation turned out:

**Oh, so I'm a douche bag now, Massie? Really? Really?**

_Yes, Derrick, you are a douche. And an even bigger one than before. _

**Oh, Massie, you know you don't believe that. **

_Uh, I kind of do. _

**Oh, so you do? **

_Yeah, that's what I said. =P_

**Well fine then, Miss Perfect. **

_I'm not perfect Derrick. _

**You act like it. **

_I do not. _

**Fine, but you act it around me. **

_Well, sorry if I do then. _

**It's okay. Don't be sad or anything. It's just… You're so different now, Massie. I miss the old Massie, the one who would fight back to me instead of scream her hatred towards me. The one who was never scared to show her true colors. The one with an open-ended mind. **

_She sounds cool. I bet she was cool. _

**She was cool. I miss her a lot. Do you think anyone knows her enough to change her back?**

_Actually, there's a guy. Good-looking in a way with dirty blonde hair and cute brown eyes. Only one problem, though. He looks like a dog. _

**Haha. Well, he sounds good-looking. Ever think of dating him?**

_Hahaha. No, not in a million years. He's my arch nemesis. A girl shouldn't date her enemy. Unless…_

**Unless…**

_No, never mind. _

**Okay then. What do you want to talk about? :P **

_Minnesota. How was it?_

**Okay. I missed New York, though. Minnesota didn't have many amber-eyed beauties. Although, I did meet this one girl. **

_Oh? _

**Yeah. Reminded me a lot of Dylan Marvil. I don't know. We went on four dates, but we never really hit it off. When it came down to girls, she was the only one that I went on a date with. **

_Really? _

**Yeah. I couldn't stop thinking of this one girl when I was in Minnesota. **

_Who? Do I know her? _

**Yes. Very, very well. **

_Oh, tell me then! Come on, Derrick, who is it? _

**Won't tell. **

_Oh, come on, Derrick. _

**No, can't. The bell is gonna ring soon. **

_Fine. I'll just annoy it out of you. _

"Okay, kids, don't forget to do pages 275 to 278. That is your homework which will be due tomorrow," Mrs. Hopkins announced.

"Oh, God," Massie moaned in complaint. "See what you do, Derrick? I don't even know what we learned. Or what she taught. Jeez, Derrick," Massie accused.

"Don't blame me," Derrick incredulously defended himself loudly, getting up and grabbing his bag. While he spoke, the bell rang, indicating the end of class.

Massie laughed. "And why shouldn't I?"

They followed each other out the door.

"Because I'm, like, you're best friend," Derrick played in a valley girl accent.

They burst out laughing. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed the students who made a small clearing for them to walk past.

Hushed whispers and confused glances were thrown around.

_"The new kid and Massie?"_

_"He's not new. He moved to Minnesota before middle school."_

_"I heard that they were enemies before."_

_"That guy is really hot. What's his name?"_

_"Massie's such a bitch, taking everyone that crosses her way."_

_"Shit. I've been trying to get with Massie for how long and here goes the new kid, getting all up in her pants."_

_"Massie's freaking hot, huh?"_

_"I heard she and Chris Plovert broke up because he cheated on her with Alicia."_

_"I heard it was because there were four Brazilian strippers in his room."_

_"Which planet are you from?"_

But the two didn't hear or notice the sudden change in atmosphere. They didn't even notice Kristen, Claire and Connor watching them.

* * *

**A/N: =P**

**Was it weird? It sounded weird. Oh, and if you were confused during this chapter, I am so sorry. I think that's the last time I'm going to have so much bold and italicized words. Okay, I'm still not sure. **

**Behind Enemy Lines has a new chapter, so check that out, please:) **

**Oh, and Smilez014 and I have a community. Feel free to check it out. It's called the _Imperfectly Perfect Lives of Massington_. Right? Something along the lines of that. **

**Right, right, right. I have a new story idea and I'm writing it down. It's for Desiree for her birthday. Her birthday is two days right after mine (yeah, I know) and since she wrote a story for me, I'm writing a story for her. **

**Dez, I changed the title of the story, so this is the summary for the story I'm writing. **

**Contradicting Love**

**Massie, an in-depth loner at 17, despises all popular kids. Derrick, a popular yet misunderstood soccer goalie is famous at Chestnut Academy. As these two are paired off as partners, Derrick realizes that he's missed out on a beautiful person that he shouldn't have. **

**Believe it or not, this had two more titles before I settled on this. Wanna know how I got it? I was watching My Sister's Keeper--which should've gotten Grammys because Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vasilieva were absolutely GREAT in it--and I kept thinking of love between everyone until I heard something that contradicted another thing, and I was like, "Contradicting Love". It fit into this story, which was originally titled "Silent Popularity". And because Dez _loves _contradictions. And love. :) **

******Okay, that's really it, but it's not a cliche dramarama story. There won't be that much drama, I think. There will be much fluff:) Oh, and a meaningful ending. I really like it's plot, so can you guys tell me how it sounds from here? And it's not like "A Walk to Remember" at all, so don't even try and mention that. Haha, sorry to sound mean:) **

******Anyway, review and tell me about Contradicting Love:)**

******Pizzazz:)**

******_xoxoDDLSG _**


	10. Chapter 10

**=D  
**

* * *

"So… Are you and Massie all buddy-buddy now?" Claire asked, trying to make her voice sound as flat as possible.

It didn't work.

Derrick saw right through it. And she was jealous. Like all the rest of them. He had only been in Briarwood Academy for four hours and already girls were all over him. He knew he looked good, but it was too much for him.

He shrugged. They were alone at table sixteen, just the two of them. Which was weird because his friends should've been here; friends and Connor. Massie had seen him earlier and thought he'd like to meet them.

_Wrong, _Derrick thought.

"So…" Claire trailed off, wanting an answer from Derrick.

He looked at her, a glazed look in his eyes. "Huh?"

Claire sighed. Was this really his reaction to her every time? When would she be able to talk to him without those "I'm sorry, I was thinking of something important before you just had to interrupt." It was annoying and stupid.

"Are you?" Claire pressed, irritation audible in her tone.

Derrick didn't get a chance to answer because a few guys strolled over to their table.

"You Derrick?" A guy with caramel blonde hair asked.

He looked up at the four sweaty boys. "And if I said yes?"

"Then we'd like to welcome you back. And ask you to join the soccer team."

Before Derrick could answer, a guy with a slight afro-styled hairdo said, "Hey, D, you're back. How was Mississippi?"

Claire smirked. Derrick's right eyebrow rose slightly. "Uh… I moved to Minnesota, not Mississippi. Where'd you get that from?"

The boy looked embarrassed. He looked around nervously until someone else said, "You should try out for soccer. You were a great player back in fifth grade. It's a good thing you cameback. We need a good player. We're thinking of kicking off a player."

"Yeah!" another boy exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air.

Derrick half-smiled.

"So?" Caramel-blonde asked.

Claire already knew Derrick's answer. She'd seen him playing soccer and he was a definite pro. He would say yes, she just knew it.

Derrick glanced from the four soccer boys to sweet Claire, then back again. He broke into a goofy grin and shot up, his fist pumping the air. "Dudes, I'm back!" he shouted in glee.

"Is that a yes?" Slight-afro asked.

He lowered his hand. "Hell yeah."

A group of girls from nearby squealed, palpably listening to their conversation.

"Awesome. Try-outs are Wednesday after school. Can you make it?" Caramel-blonde asked.

_Of course not! _Claire wanted to shout. _He can't because he has a date with me! _But she was able to contain himself, a tight smile stretched across her face.

Derrick's lit face darkened a bit. He may not have liked Claire, but that didn't mean he went back on promises. With a sigh, he said, "I can't. I'm busy that day. Unless…" His sentence led on, his gaze eyeing Claire.

She innocently looked up. She batted her eyes. Even if the thought of their date being postponed made her angry, she wasn't a mean person. "You can go, but our date is at seven." She _could _afford to be a little mean. "Right?" she asked for extra innocence.

Derrick didn't remember promising their date be at seven, but he was so ecstatic about the thought of playing soccer again that he agreed and turned back to the guys. "I'll be there."

"Alright. We'll try and finish before your date. Check you later." The boys nodded their byes and left.

Derrick sat down next to Claire just as Josh, Kristen and Antonette came.

Josh plopped himself across Claire and Kristen across Derrick.

"Sit," Josh told Antonette, patting the empty chair next to him.

"Where's Massie?" she questioned.

"Nowhere near us as you can see," Kristen replied. She still wasn't comfortable with Antonette around.

She ignored the comment and shrugged a petite shoulder. "I'm gonna go and sit by Charles instead." She good-bye grin was tiny before walking away, Josh's eyes lingering on her very round butt for more than a few seconds.

"Where's Cam?" Claire asked, breaking Josh from his reverie.

He yawned before saying, "Don't know. I saw him before second period, though. He looked okay, I guess. I tried to get his attention, but nah, he didn't want to look at me." He shrugged it off and popped a French fry into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then noticed that someone else wasn't there.

"Where's Muh-muh-muh-Massie?" he joked, his tone taking that of a Chia Pets commercial.

Kristen and Claire chuckled, but caught each other's eyes. Whenever Massie was MIA, it only really meant one thing.

"Connor," Derrick answered, his voice full of envy and remorse.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Massie smiled. Connor wrapped his strong arms around her stomach, pulling her closer to him. They were in Ms. Seyman's class. The lights were off and the desks were pushed to the side.

Ms. Seyman **(added a "y") **was out for the day, so it wouldn't hurt for them to have a little movie session.

The only light came from the movie they were watching, which was Twilight, a movie she and Connor hated. Massie snuggled her head against his warm chest.

"Why are we watching this? You hate this movie," Massie whispered.

She felt Connor press his lips onto her head. "True. But I know you have a thing for freaky vampire tales. And yes, I know, you don't like Twilight that much, but it was the first movie that popped into my head."

She smiled in total bliss. They were sitting on a cliché red and white checkered blanket, Connor's lunch basket and accessories pushed to the side. Connor was always one for doing things like that. It was why every girl known to humanity fell for him in an instant.

_I mean, who wouldn't?  
_

"Connor?"

"Yes, Massie?" he breathed into her hair.

"How did you manage to do all of this? I mean, I know you're Superman, but this is just too crazy."

He chuckled, a low rumble in his throat, something that Massie missed. When he laughed, she always found herself smiling along with him.

"Do you like it?" he asked, his warm breath tickling Massie's ear.

She looked up and kissed his jaw. "You betcha. And you know what else I like?"

Connor chuckled, "Monkeys that have green tongues and can act out scenes from Romeo and Juliet?"

Massie giggled and fixed her position so that she was facing him. "No. You." She knew it was sudden and she knew it was wrong, but it felt too right for her.

Connor's laughter died down. He looked her straight on and leaned in slowly. Before Massie knew it, she was leaning in, too.

Their lips pressed together just as Bella and Edward's did, too. Massie felt the sparks that exploded in her body. Blood pulsed through her veins and warmed her cheeks and neck.

Connor's kisses always made her feel that way.

He paused a moment and whispered, "I like you, too," against her mouth.

He pressed his lips onto hers in a more careful way. Their lips molded into each other's perfectly. Massie instinctively pulled herself closer to Connor.

He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her into his chest. The tip of tongue lightly traced her full bottom lip as she shivered.

Her hands ran through his preppy jet-black hair.

He wrapped both arms around her, savoring the taste of her lips on his.

Massie's hormones took over as she sidled her way closer to him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

He smiled against her mouth and slowly ended the kiss. "No, Massie. Don't go too far." He kissed her nose and then her forehead as she closed her eyes.

She turned back around and leaned into him, back pressed against front. As she was watching she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

Chris Plovert had cheated on her and here she was, making out with an ex-boyfriend who she fell for once again.

Her life was way more fascinating than Lauren Conrad's.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"Yeah, but she's nowhere to be found," Antonette said, opening her heavily-glossed mouth to take a bite of her salad.

Charles laughed, throwing his head back, attracting attention from a few girls and several guys. Although Charles was muscular, good-looking and wealthy, he was unmistakably gay. His wardrobe, snappy comebacks and outside appearance said it all. And he was definitely not an anti-social. Antonette had learned back then that if you didn't know Charles, you were considered a freak. But she wasn't friends with him to be accepted. She was friends with him because he was so blunt yet so nice.

"Antonette," Charles started in his nasally voice, "don't worry about Cassie—"

"Massie," she corrected him.

"Right, Ma-a-asie"—he circulated his hand in the air to show he didn't care—"because she's probably in very good hands right now." He winked and took a sip of iced tea. He smiled at a girl who passed by.

And as soon as she was out of earshot, he leaned in and sneered, "Total fake times ten plus four hundred times ten again. She's all fake. Fake nose job, fake brands, ugh, fake hair." He ran his own hands through his naturally caramel brown locks.

Antonette laughed and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "That's mean, Charles," she scolded.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Well, it doesn't say Mr. Nice Guy on my forehead, now does it, honey?" he snapped.

She half-smiled. To most others, he comebacks were insults, but she knew they were there to cover the insecurities. Or at least that's what his therapist said.

She sighed.

Charles looked over his best friend of two months. He cocked his head. "Hey, did you grow?"

Antonette glared at him. "That's not funny, Charles."

"No," he smiled. "Seriously. Did you?"

She rolled her eyes. She had given up on her hopes of ever growing again.

"Antonette?" Charles said.

"What now, Charles?"

"Why are you so hung up on this Massie girl and her friends?"

Her eyes drifted away to where Derrick, Kristen, Josh and Claire were sitting. They looked happy enough. Antonette wondered how they could live with each other, even though it was obvious that they hated each other.

Kristen was jealous of Derrick and Claire's date.

Claire was jealous of Massie because Derrick liked her.

Josh was jealous of Derrick because Kristen liked him.

Derrick was jealous of Connor because he knew he was with Massie.

Cam was jealous of Derrick because he had a date with Claire, even though he tried to make it seem as if he didn't like her.

Altogether, they were a jealous mess.

"Because I need to fix them."

* * *

**AN: *nods***

**Sorry for the late update. And if this was a really sucky chapter, I'm sorry. Put the blame on me. It's 10:55 PM and I wrote all of this in two hours with edits and deletions and all. Whoa. Deletions is a word?**

**Anyway, I need to tell you guys that I won't be updating until May 8. ****Yes, I know, I'm sorry, I really, truly am. But it's only a few weeks. **

**And if you were wondering, no, it's not a big personal problem. I'm just clouded with so many projects and exams and all these tests that will determine if I'm good enough for high school. **

**And you know what? I think I'm pretty good enough for high school. Maybe even Harvard material. Okay, who are we kidding, right? **

**Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm going on hiatus. I'll update Behind Enemy Lines one last time until May 8. Sorry again, guys (who are really girls).**

**Oh, and don't worry my Massington fans. For the moment, you can enjoy Connor Daly. That _is _his last name, right? And yes, Desiree, I don't know who my characters are. :P **

**Review for me? **

**Pizzazz:) **

**_xoxoDDLSG _ **


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm back:)  
Disclaimed, yeah? **

* * *

"So you just had to blow me off for Connor?" Claire complained.

Massie rolled her eyes. "No, Claire. It's not like I just left you. I also left Kristen."

Claire sighed. "You know, you'd think that someone who came from a bad relationship would be all… bleh. But you're all over Connor like a dog's slobber."

Massie looked at Claire. She was sitting down on Came's red loveseat, her legs dangling off the arm, her math worksheet on her stomach. "What?"

Claire blushed. She shook her head slightly.

Massie was lying back on Cam's can-fit-seven-people bed when she pleaded, "Tell me. Please?"

"There's nothing to tell," Claire stated, avoiding Massie's eyes.

She clenched her teeth. Leaning back, she wondered, _Does she think I'm being slutty? _She shook her head. _No. Not Claire. No way.  
_

Just then, the door opened and Kristen, Josh, Cam and Derrick came in. Kristen had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead leftover from soccer practice.

Josh marched in, a triumphant look on his face. He placed bags of barbecued and sour cream and onion Lays and honey-barbecued Fritos Twists on the glass table that Cam dragged in earlier.

Cam came in carrying a bucket filled to the rim with ice and sodas that he dumped next to the table.

Derrick then came in with two plates of pizza rolls with the steam still hovering around it. He placed that next to the bags of chips.

"Okay. Uh," Derrick checked his back pockets and pulled out two bags of Skittles, two bags of sour gummy feet and two bags of M&Ms. "Who wanted the Skittles?"

"Me, me, me!" Kristen yelled, grabbing the blue bag from his hand.

Josh said something loud and foreign. Everyone turned around to look at him. He sheepishly smiled back and said, "Sorry. It was Spanish is any of you were wondering."

"That's nice," Massie commented from her place on the bed.

"It is, isn't it?" Josh retorted, having grabbed his red bag of Skittles.

"And gummies for Cam and Claire," Derrick continued, throwing them the bags.

Cam caught his bag while Claire let it plop on her stomach. Derrick climbed on the bed with Massie, making the bed vibrate. "M&Ms, mademoiselle?"

She smiled at him and took the purple bag. "Why yes, sir-moiselle."

He laughed. "Okay, that does sort of fit me."

"Sort of," Massie teasingly agreed.

The two laughed again, the sound annoying Claire and Kristen. And just to please herself, Claire said aloud, "Hey, Massie, isn't Connor going to call any time soon?"

This stopped Derrick and Massie's laughter. There was an awkward tense in the room before Cam said, "Look, guys, like I said earlier, I'm sorry for bursting like that. That wasn't cool, and I know that. There's just been a lot on my mind lately." He sheepishly glanced at everyone's face, his gaze lingering on Claire's just a little longer than most. He hoped that everyone accepted his lame apology.

"Cam, it's okay," Derrick said. "Seriously. I get it. I'll only be mad if you make out with my dream girl or something."

Massie giggled. Josh and Cam's eyes flickered to Massie. Claire's thoughts fluttered, wondering who his dream girl was.

Derrick looked down at Massie. "Why are you so giggly?"

She giggled again, shrugging.

Derrick dramatically rolled his eyes. "Gosh, Massie. Don't be such a popsicle."

She playfully scoffed and punched his arm. "I will if you stop being such a waffle!"

Derrick looked at her, his eyes gleaming with content. "You remembered?" he asked, his tone softening.

She grinned. "Of course I do. It's not every day that a boy I absolutely loathe comes up to me and calls me a popsicle, expecting for it to scar my emotions forever."

Derrick winked at her. "Touché."

Kristen rolled her eyes. Cam half-smiled while reclining in his chair. "Why do you guys call each other that?" he asked.

Derrick laughed and leaned forward. "In the fourth grade, Massie was drinkinging some slush thing which fell on her—"

"Because you shoved it at me!" Massie interrupted.

Derrick chuckled at the memory. "Anyway, I called her a popsicle and in her frustration, she called me a waffle."

Claire heard everyone laugh, Kristen's own forced. She was jealous of Massie, she admitted, because she and Derrick had so much history together and she and Derrick had absolutely no history with each other. Ironic, since they were neighbors practically their whole lives.

Massie laughed and looked down at her vibrating phone. She one new message from Antonette.

**Antonette: What R U doing? **

Massie took the phone into both her hands and texted her back.

**Massie: Hanging with the group. & U? **

It took her only one minute to reply.

**Antonette: Oh. Don't 4get to get close 2 Derrick! =D**

Massie rolled her eyes and looked up to see that everyone left except for Derrick who was on the edge of Cam's monster-huge bed.

"Where are they?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Derrick responded, flicking out of his dazed expression. "Oh, them? Not sure. Something about more gummies, something or other."

Massie nodded. Watching Derrick was something she rarely ever did. But she never knew that he actually looked good. Nor did she know that he was a cool person if you gave him the chance.

It was weird how they hated each other back then, and now, they seemed to be getting along fine. The past few days were quick and blurry now, but she remembered that they were the days that her interest in Derrick grew. She loved the way he would get all protective when she needed it. He was someone she could rely on and someone she could laugh with.

"Mass?"

"Yeah?"

He hesitated before saying, "Don't you think you're going a little too fast with Connor? Sneaking off with him and stuff?"

Massie raised an eyebrow. Why was everyone thinking that she was going a little too fast? "No, not really. Why? Do you think I am?"

"Does my opinion count?"

"Yes, of course it does."

"Well then…" He paused again, not wanting to say the wrong thing. "In my opinion, yes. You just broke up with Chris and already you're with Connor."

Massie narrowed her eyes and climbed off the bed. "What are you saying?"

Derrick turned around. Calmly, he answered, "I just think you need to slow down. Connor's always going to be there for you, you know."

This flared Massie's anger. "And what if he's not? What if he just picks up and leaves like the rest of them? And if he doesn't even tell me that he's leaving and his _neighbor_ informs me?" She circled around Cam's bed, wanting to see Derrick's reactions.

Derrick's eyebrow arched. "And if he doesn't? It's pretty obvious that he wouldn't want to leave you because he's in love with you!"

"Well, he should tell me that he's in love with me so that we could just get over it! He needs to stop putting it off!"

"Well maybe if the girl showed hints that she loved the guy, he wouldn't have left!"

"But he did, didn't he? He didn't even call or e-mail or anything! He just left without a single thing! At least a good-bye would've been nice!"

"Maybe he was afraid that you'd pity him! Or that you'd laugh in his face and just crush his heart!"

"Maybe he should've just come to me still and just be a big guy and tell me how he felt! He would've been surprised at what I had to say."

Derrick stared deep into Massie's eyes. She was vulnerable. Both of them were. Right at that moment.

Massie gulped. Without thinking, she slowly asked, "Who were we talking about?"

Derrick blinked. "I think it was about Connor."

She nodded her head, even though she knew that they were talking about them.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"So you and Antonette are still together, or is it fin?" Kristen asked, fascinated by Josh.

They had only been talking for an hour, but it seemed like they knew everything about each other. In fact, she had told Josh about the time she was caught cheating in class; technically, she wasn't cheating, her classmate was. Kristen was simply telling her to stop. She hadn't told Claire or Massie that, though.

"I'm not sure really. We haven't talked in a while." Josh shrugged and stared at Kristen. She was beautiful, but she was insecure. She was witty, but she thought she wasn't smart. She played soccer, but she thought she was girly.

She was innocent. But the way she captivate him was overwhelmingly… Overwhelming.

Josh loved her in so many ways and she didn't. Because she loved Derrick.

"Why do you ask?" he inquired, trying to get his mind off Kristen liking Derrick.

Kristen half-smiled. She jumped onto Cam's tiled island countertop and poked Josh's nose playfully. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Josh rubbed his nose and chuckled. "Oh, Kristen. I would like to know. It's why I'm asking." He pulled himself up onto the counter to sit next to her, accidentally hitting his head on the pans that hung low from the brown pots and pan holder.

Kristen laughed and ducked from the moving pans. She swayed, side to side, and said, "I don't know. Just curious." She looked at him and smiled.

He smiled back. It was really the only thing he could do.

Unless he kissed her.

And he wanted to, but he couldn't break what they had.

And whatever it was that they had, it was better than nothing.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"It's so weird that you love Sour Tongues," Cam said, tossing Claire three more of the red candy.

Claire giggled and caught them. "Are you kidding? Sour Tongues are the best candy there is. Sour Patch my butt!" She popped all three of them into her mouth, waiting for the explosive taste to ring in her mouth.

Cam watched as the beautiful blonde's face twisted and changed. He laughed heartily and popped three chewy Lifesavers into his mouth.

Claire shook her head and chuckled. "The best, I swear."

Cam nodded and chewed.

"Whatcha chewing on?" she asked.

"Lifesavers."

Absentmindedly, Claire laughed.

"What?" Cam asked, hoping there wasn't anything in his teeth.

"Well, I just remembered this one time that I ate a Lifesaver and I choked on it. Don't ask how because I don't know, either. All I can tell you is that you can't give me green Lifesavers or I'll die from terror." She shuddered and blushed.

Cam nodded and laughed. "How ironic."

Claire nodded, wide-eyed. "That's what Kris said."

"I can imagine."

Claire smiled and looked around her. Jars and jars of various candies filled the shelves, candy chains hanging from random spots on the ceiling. It was Claire's CandyLand fantasy coming to life.

"How did you get this whole basement for your candy?"

Cam followed Claire with his eyes. "Just asked my dad. It took a while to get a response from him, but look where we are now."

Claire nodded. "I love this place. I wish I could get one like this place."

Cam half-smiled. Derrick hated candy, so why did Claire like him?

_Because he looks good, _rang a voice in his head.

He shook his head and continued to admire Claire's pleased expression.

* * *

**A/N: =P**

**Ugh, that took me forever! I can't believe it... Well, I know that i skipped over Cam's apology, but I just thought it didn't really matter much. Anyway, I just have to say thanks to all of you that are so nice and subscribe and favorite and review this story:)**

**Oh, and Behind Enemy Lines: I'm changing the point of view. I thought about the plot, and originally, Claire was to be brave enough to leave Kristen's group, but I'm now changing it to someone else. Just stay put, I'll update that one soon:) I fixed that story so that it wasn't messed up. **

**Oh, and I fixed up this story. I made spaces between the first two chapters of this, and I'm gonna lay low with the A/Ns. Sorry, I just like to talk a lot:) **

**Review, pLease? **

**Pizzazz, **

**_xoxoDDLSG _**


	12. Chapter 12

**A word from Chris Plovert:) Dedicated to CBLover1812 for being the first reviewer:) This one is for you:) **

* * *

I haven't been in school for what seems like forever. I have been watching her, though. She's already with someone else.

Traitor.

She's a traitor.

A lying, sneaky traitor.

She said I cheated on her.

She's cheating on me with that Daly guy. How dare she do that? Accuse me of infidelity and in the end, who goes crazy?

Me.

Crazy enough to spy on all of them, to watch her as she laughs and kisses Daly.

She'll get it. They all will.

Especially that Antonette girl. She's pushing Massie and that dirty-blonde kid together. And who is that? He looks vaguely familiar. Where in the world have I seen him? I know his last name, I think. I heard it from Hurley.

But that doesn't matter.

What matters is that I need to kill them off.

All of them.

Separately.

Starting with the tiniest.

Antonette is going down first.

How can I hurt her without anyone knowing? I have to be clean, swift. I'll take her someplace where no one will hear her screams.

But where?

Not this week.

Too soon.

The week after?

Too random.

I need to drop hints that I'm coming.

But how?

Gah. This takes too much planning.

I need to sort this out first. But how? It will take too long. I need Massie back with me.

I know.

Antonette's not that big. She's probably not that heavy. I can carry her. Pull a stunt from The Orphan and attack her with a hammer until she stops her screams.

Rape her, even.

I'll call her Massie, she'll writhe in pleasure and moan out my name.

Yes.

I can already feel it.

She probably won't be as good as Massie would be, but it won't matter.

Who will be after Antonette?

That boy with the two different eyes looks guilty of something. I heard his outburst earlier. Angry at something, someone. Angry at something dealing with Claire.

Ah, Claire. Yes, Claire. So sweet, innocent, fragile. So easily breakable. Yet I'd question myself why I'd hurt her in the first place. Clearly she's in love with dirty-blonde boy. She's actually helping me. Keep dirty-blonde away from my Massie. Ah, Claire. Always the sweetest.

Then there's Mr. Latino. I know him. Josh. Fucked every girl in school. Made out with a few select teachers. Scored me Massie, too. Pointed me to her in a party. Technically, pointed to Kristen, told me he liked her, and I saw Massie. Overall, decent guy, wouldn't hurt a fly.

Now Kristen. Always the wittiest one. The one with great sarcasm skills. She annoyed the crap out of me when she talked. She never had anything nice to say. Weighing my options with this one. Back then, I probably wouldn't be so hesitant. I would have killed her. Now, not so sure. She's in love with dirty-blonde, too. Like Claire, a big asset to my plan. Two can keep him from my Massie.

Onto dirty-blonde. I forget his name, but his last name sticks. Harrington. Familiar to me. Sounds cocky, though. Thinks he can get girls all the time, including my Massie. I see the way he looks at her. His eyes adore her when they're alone together. When she's with Connor, venom fills his eyes.

Like me.

He looks big. I can probably shoot him. Use my dad's gun. Goes right through, you die in an instant. Yep. Goes in, comes out. Pretty slick, don't you think?

Daly. Massie's ex-boyfriend who came back. Maybe she never really had any feelings for me. All just a fling for her. Or maybe she loved both of us. It could happen. She obviously loved me. I was her Clyde, she was my Bonnie. But now I'm looking at this differently. Daly is Paris, Massie is Juliet, I Romeo.

Aha! A brilliant plan. I will poison Connor. His food; in the cafeteria. Order someone, anyone, to do it for me. Won't be hard. Throw a few punches here and there, cash in a few bucks, promise they wouldn't get caught. Yeah. This plan. Seems. Perfect.

Who am I forgetting?

Ah. Yes.

The one and only.

Massie Block.

Loved her the moment I saw her.

Big mistake.

As big an ass I was for falling so fast, I can't deny the fact that I'm still in love and could never, would never kill Massie. Unless she denied me.

She'd rue the day she rejected me.

I'd tease her first. Yes.

Tease her. Make her jealous. Make her regret. Make her get on her knees and beg to take me back.

And if she won't I'll take her. Strip her clothes off. She'll get angry; punch me, kick me. But once I thrust myself into her, she'll fall in love all over again. Obviously, she wants me to. And I will take her to indescribable heights.

I will leave this death plan to here. I'm aroused just thinking of Massie.

Till I think of more death plans,

; )

* * *

**A/N: -gulp-**

**I meant, _words _from Chris Plovert. Scary, huh? -shudders- I'm watching Demi Lovato (insert squeal here) vids. Jemi FTW! **

**I hope they don't break up. I usually don't like the Jonas Brothers, but I'm only going to excuse one of them for now. :) Besides, I sortakindasure,whynot like Joe. **

**Anyway, review? **

**Pweety pweety pwease? **


	13. Chapter 13

"What do you think we're gonna do on our date?" Claire asked Massie.

Massie looked up from her iTouch. She looked dazed and lost as she pulled out a blue earphone and asked, "Who, what, huh?"

Kristen chuckled. "Oh, Massie-Massie-Massie."

"It may rhyme with sassy but she's extremely classy," Derrick, from behind Kristen, finished in a singsong voice.

Massie laughed and rolled her eyes.

Derrick plopped down beside Massie and deliberately brushed his knee against hers before resting it there.

Massie didn't mind that he had done that. Besides, Derrick already had Claire. And Claire was going to satisfy Derrick. By the way Claire kept eyeing Derrick, Massie most definitely knew that Claire wouldn't let him out of her sight.

Right after Derrick sat, Josh and Cam made themselves comfortable, too. Kristen had grown used to seeing Josh and she even looked forward to it. Hearing that he and Antonette weren't that close relieved her of a tense feeling that made itself known in the back of her head.

"Hey, Josh," Kristen greeted.

He flashed her a smirk and said, "Hey-hey, KK."

Kristen laughed and felt her toes warm. She hadn't had that feeling in her life, not even with Derrick. But she dismissed that feeling, laughing it off. "So is that going to be a regular thing now?"

Josh stuffed his mouth with his BLT, chewed and swallowed and said, "Yeah-yeah, KK."

"Okay," she laughed. "As long as I can call you JJ."

"Sure, Kris. But only you can do that." He looked up at her and winked, making her feel tingly.

Cam sat down next to Claire and tossed a few Hershey's Kisses onto her blue tray.

Claire looked away from Derrick and Massie and up to Cam. She smiled sweetly and said, "Thanks, Cam. I needed these." She began unwrapping the silver foil and popped one in her mouth, reveling in the sweetness of it.

Cam chuckled. "I just thought that you'd like some."

"Well, you thought right." Claire popped another unwrapped chocolate into her mouth.

Cam stared at Claire in awe. She was beautiful, sweet and a cute girl that Derrick oversaw. What Cam would do to be Derrick…

"Derrick, Derrick!" a ketchup-red-haired girl squealed. She came right up to Derrick and hugged him. "It's been for-eh-ver!" she enunciated.

Derrick awkwardly hugged her back and nervously said, "Yeah, it's, uh, great to see you…" He let go of her and finished his sentence, "Ann?"

The ketchup-red-headed girl giggled and shook her head.

"Rachel?"

She shook her head again.

"Emma?"

"No…" Red-head's eyes widened.

"Oh!" Derrick snapped his fingers. "Camille!"

"No!" Red-head stamped her foot. "Don't you remember me?"

"Obviously, no," Massie muttered, receiving a snort from Josh.

Derrick stifled a smirk and said, "Then who are you?"

Red-head half-gasped and half-sighed before saying, "I'm Natalie, remember? Natalie Johnson?"

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "Aaaand?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Aaaand-I stole your scissors in the fourth grade, remember? Then I gave 'em back to you and you kissed my cheek." She smiled knowingly.

Derrick squinted his eyes as if to try and recall that. He shook his head, "No, sorry, don't remember."

Natalie's hazel-green eyes darkened and she left Derrick's probing brown eyes. Derrick turned back to his food and bit into the ham and cheese sandwich.

"Oh, Derrick," Massie sighed.

He looked up at her. "Yeah?" he replied, his mouth full.

Claire laughed at him like it was funny while Cam laughed out loud. "Man, seriously, life without you, dude, is like nothing at all."

"Ha," Massie snorted. "_Dis_agreed."

"And why is that?" Derrick snapped.

"Oh, Derrick, sometimes your obliviousness makes me laugh."

Before Derrick could say anything, Connor came and greeted everyone at the table. "Why, hello, darling dearest Massie," he teased, pulling her up from her chair.

She easily stood up and climbed out, leaving tray untouched. "Hello." She kissed his cheek as she giggled.

Derrick rolled his eyes, hoping no one would see.

"Mind if I take Massie away for a moment or two?"

Derrick thought, _Yeah, I mind, _but heard the group say they didn't. He watched forlornly as the love of his life left with Connor.

"Derrick?" Claire interrupted his thoughts.

"Mm?"

"Uh," she uttered, wondering why she was going to ask in the first place.

"What, Claire?"

_Might as well say it. _"About tomorrow…" as she trailed off, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

Derrick exasperatedly scratched the space between his eyebrows and grabbed his bag and tray. "We'll talk later, Claire. Bye guys." He nodded his head sharply and swiftly left the group.

Claire, zombie-like, gathered her belongings and before leaving, she thought she heard someone say, "I love you," but when she turned around, she was only greeted by rushing students heading to their next classes.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"Honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do. Dude, I need your help." Derrick looked at Cam, waiting to hear what he had to say.

Cam turned his head to Josh who distanced himself and sat on Cam's black rolling chair, Facebooking.

"Well, it says here that Claire can't wait for your date."

Derrick sagged a bit and practically yelled, "What am I gonna do?"

"Relax, dude," Josh eased, "Here's what you do…"

Cam intended on listening to them talk about Claire and the date they were going to, but he couldn't quite focus.

_I said I love you to her! She probably heard it. Ah! What had gotten into me to say that! No guy in their sane mind would say that! Me saying that I love Claire? It's just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong-  
_

"Cam? Cam?" Derrick shoved Cam's shoulder, jabbing him back to reality.

"Yo, Cameron!" Josh threw Cam a David Beckham bobblehead, which cam caught with ease.

"Dude!" he exclaimed, placing the bobblehead gently on the desk next to him. "Seriously? This is a collector's item! Don't just throw it at whoever. Do that again and you'll wake up with teal-colored eyebrows."

Josh's eyes widened, and then he laughed. "Dude, if you do that, I'll rip your balls off. Then again, you'll need 'em for when you tell Claire that you love her."

Cam narrowed his eyes. The first words that went through his head were, _Shit, now I'm screwed. _"What? What? Tch, no! I don't—" Cam futilely attempted to defend himself, but Derrick and Josh only chortled heartily.

"Cam," Josh panted, one hand cradling his stomach, the other gripping Cam's shoulder. "Dude, you're so in love with Claire. It's so obvious!"

Derrick nearly choked on his laughter, so he only nodded his agreement.

Cam rolled his eyes, the anger rising up his throat. He tasted it; it tasted harshly like the coppery taste of blood. "Yeah? Well, why are you laughing, Joshie boy? You're in the same situation as me! Kristen _doesn't _like you, so you can't exactly laugh at something that's going on with you, now can you?"

As soon as he said it, Josh and Derrick stopped laughing. Silence filled the room. Cam, the sensitive one, had just told Josh off.

"Wow," Derrick stressed. "This is…"

"Don't say awkward," Cam interjected.

"Wasn't going to, but I like that word, too."

"Dude," Josh serenely said, "don't go out with Kristen, okay?"

Cam bit his cheek while Derrick gave Josh an appraising look. "Now why—"

"Because she's in love with you."

Derrick's eyes widened. "Wait… What?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Don't you see it, D? In. Love. With. You. Kristen is. Now can you promise me you won't go out with her?" His brown eyes were a little damp, Derrick noticed as he nodded.

Josh gave a relieved face. "Thanks, D."

Derrick's jaw was set as he thought about how beautiful Massie looked that day. In fact, she had always looked gorgeous to Derrick, especially when she got angry. Her cheeks would get flushed and the light freckles sprinkled across her nose would pop out, making her look like a more vulnerable person. He absentmindedly smiled and fell back on Cam's bed.

Cam and Josh shot each other knowing glances.

"D," Cam muttered, shoving his knee. "Dude. D!"

Josh laughed. "Derrick is in _big _time."

Cam nodded. "I always knew he was in love with Massie."

"I know, right? It was always so obvious. Derrick never knew how to hide his feelings. I don't know how many people came to me and asked me whether Derrick liked Massie or not."

Cam laughed and rolled his eyes. "You know, I never knew how to answer those questions man." He glanced at Derrick, a slight smirk on his face. "Derrick the Doofus; that's all I can say."

"You know Cam, I can still hear you." Derrick grabbed a nearby pillow and slammed it on Cam's head.

"Oh, Derrick, you know it's true," cam snickered.

"Cam, Josh, shut the hell up."

Josh chortled. "Derrick, you know we love Massie. You two look great together. That Connor ass isn't as cool as you. You guys honestly look good together. I should just beat the crap out of Connor." Josh's hands were balled into fists when his phone vibrated. _Vbbb. _

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and read the message. He made a face and looked p. "Dudes, I gotta go. Antonette's looking for me. She probably wants some lovin'." He cracked a grin and stood up, punching Cam and Derrick's knuckles with his own. "See ya." He nodded once and left the room.

As soon as Josh left, Derrick sat up and stared at Cam.

Cam awkwardly darted his eyes around until he started squirming. "Yes, Derrick?"

Derrick didn't waste a second and asked Cam, "Where should I take Claire?"

Cam flinched, feeling the sting of his best friend's question. "Uh, I don't know. It's your date, not mine."

Derrick rolled his eyes. "Come on, Cam, you talked to her before. Where does she wanna go?"

Cam really wished that they weren't at his house so he could just get up and leave.

"Cam, seriously, I need your help."

He rolled his eyes and hesitated before answering, "She was hoping you'd be cliché and take her to a movie and dinner."

Derrick's eyes widened slightly. "And that's all she wants from me?"

Cam nodded. In a monotonous tone, he added, "She would want you to hug her at the end of your date, too. She wants a kiss by the end of the third date. You're claimed official after the kiss." Cam clenched his teeth in disgust.

Derrick gulped. "Cam," he murmured, "You know that I'm not doing this to hurt you, right? You know that you're my best bud and I would never intend to hurt you."

Cam gritted his teeth together. "Dude… Don't ever say that again."

Derrick's face resembled confusion. "Why?"

"Because you sounded so gay."

* * *

**A/N: **

**I know some of you may be really angry with me, but I've just been really busy at school. I really don't have much time to write anymore because of all the clubs I'm in, and whenever I'm not at them, or doing something for them, I need to chill. BUT it's almost summer, when I'll have a little time to write. But it's summer, I'm gonna need to enjoy it. (: PMs are welcome and recommended:) And yes, I understand that xoxoDDLSG is a mouthful, so please, welcome yourself to calling me Ericka, I won't mind:) **

**Review? **

**Pizzazz, **

**_xoxoDDLSG/Ericka(:_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Dedicated to Fireworks Forever for kicking my butt and telling me to update:) **

* * *

Derrick lay in his bed for a long period of time before picking up his black iPhone and calling a special someone. It took four and a half rings before a very tired-sounding Massie picked up.

"What?" Her voice was full of aggravation.

Derrick didn't say anything for a while until Massie growled, "Don't call me at two in the morning with nothing to say, Harrington. Now spill it or tomorrow you'll wake up with teal eyebrows."

Derrick almost burst out laughing. "What's with the teal eyebrows?" he muttered to himself.

"That's it, Harrington. You don't even have the courtesy to talk loud enough for me to hear. Good-bye and I hope that the Boogie Man gets you."

"Wait!" Derrick practically yelled. "Massie, hold on."

There was silence on the other end, scaring Derrick.

"I'm giving you ten minutes, Derrick. That's all, and if you're not done, go and cry to Dr. Phil or something."

"I'm scared, Massie," he blurted without thinking. "I never wanted to go out with Claire, but we are. I don't want it to be weird with everyone else. Considering my feelings for—" Derrick caught himself just in time before he could say anything further. Fortunately, Massie's irritation blocked what Derrick was saying.

"So if you're scared, be a man and tell he. Don't lead my best friend on, Derrick. I'll kick your ass if you hurt her in the end."

This triggered Derrick's cockiness. "And what if in the end, she hurts me?"

Massie snorted on the other end, loud enough to hurt Derrick's feelings. "That'll be the day that Hitler comes back to life."

Derrick scoffed. "You don't know that, Block."

"I think I know her better than you, Harrington."

"Really? So you knew that she liked me?"

Massie was silent on the other end. "Shut up, _Hairy_-ngton."

Derrick rolled his eyes. "You know what, Block?"

"What, Harrington?"

"You're just as immature as you were six years ago. I guess old habits do die hard, huh, Mass?"

"Ha! You should know, Derr-_ick_."

Derrick didn't know what else to say to Massie, so he uttered what he thought was an apology. "Massie, I didn't think—"

"Exactly Derrick. You always say something mean, and then you take it back. And you have the nerve to call _me _immature? Honestly, Harrington, I just really want you to go back to whatever state you came from. No one important wants you here anyway."

Derrick then heard the click of Massie hanging up. He kept the phone to his ear for a few more seconds before whipping it at the foot of his bed. A scream built itself in the back of his throat, but it was two in the morning, not exactly a perfect time to scream his heat out.

His breathing soon tightened and his whole body trembled, like an earthquake was occurring. Whatever had just happened between him and Massie, he had not prepared for it. In a matter of eight minutes, Massie and Derrick's already fragile friendship crumbled once again. And this time, Derrick didn't know how to fix it.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"Derrick. Derrick. Derrick, get up!" Dana Harrington tugged on Derrick's leg, which was heavier than three Labradors.

"Derrick! Get up, you're gonna be late!"

Derrick heard his little 14-year-old sister and groaned. He felt her weak attempts of getting her out of his bed, but he only groaned. He didn't remember falling asleep at all, but he did remember fighting with Massie on the phone.

"Derrick, Mom's getting mad. C'mon, she wants to go now." Dana punched Derrick's shoulder.

"Mmm. Tell mom thad I don't won go to sool," he grumbled.

Dana rolled her brown eyes. "Honestly, Derrick, you need to grow up and face your fears. It's one date with Claire. The most that can happen is you ending up liking her and wanting to go on another date with her."

Derrick rolled over the second she said "date". "How did you know about my date?" he asked, incredulous.

Dana shrugged nonchalantly. "You're the hottest thing to come since Justin Beiber. Lots of girls at my school like you. I've become really popular with them."

Derrick finally sat up. "Don't tell me that you're—"

"Don't worry, big brother," Dana giggled. "I don't like those people. I'm only interested in talking to Massie again."

Derrick cringed.

"Oh, by the way, isn't Massie attending Briarwood? Ask her to come over! It's been forever since I've talked to Massie! I hope she's not different. Then again, Massie's too much of a nerd to be mean. Is she with anyone? I always thought that you and Massie looked good together. I heard that she and that Chris can't-say-his-last-name broke up. It's so sad. If all he wanted was sex, he could've just—"

"Dana!" Derrick's eyes were wide at his sister. Had he been so out of touch with his own sister that he didn't know she could use the word "sex"?

The sudden interruption made Dana jump. "What?"

"What were you gonna say?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "I was gonna say that he could've just asked. But knowing Massie, she would wait. And before we left, Claire gave me this necklace." Dana pointed to the chain around her neck with a blue guitar pick-shaped object hanging from it. "Claire said that Massie was supposed to give it to me as a gift for something or other, so Claire took it from Massie and gave it to me on behalf of Massie."

Derrick nodded, confused. "When did Claire give it to you?"

"The morning we were gonna move," Dana answered. "It was really random, too. She just pulled me aside and boom! There it was."

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "Does it say something?"

Dana nodded. "'Buds before studs' on one side"—she flipped the pick to the other side—"and 'stay true to yourself' on the other. I love it." She beamed and squeezed the blue thing in her palm.

Derrick smiled. Massie was always Dana's favorite person. And Massie treated Dana like a little sister. It was cute how they got along before. Massie would always pretend to be Dana's daughter, even though she had dirty-blonde hair instead of a deep auburn. Massie was her best friend.

"Derrick! Hurry, Mom's gonna get mad!" Dana shoved Derrick's shoulder once more.

Derrick rolled his eyes. "I'll drive myself there. No need to worry." He dragged himself out of bed and began to undress.

"Whoa!" Dana rushed to cover her eyes. "Underage minor here! Jeez. You can wait till I leave, you know!" She swiftly left the room, stomping down the stairs.

While Derrick sprayed on some Axe, his phone buzzed with a message. He slammed the bottle on the table in a rush to get to his phone, hoping that it was Massie.

But it wasn't. It was Claire.

**Claire: **Good morning! Can't w8 4 our d8. Cam gave me ur #, BTW=]

Derrick rolled his eyes and planned to kill Cam during lunch. He slid his phone into his pocket and grabbed his bag from his desk chair. His phone vibrated again and he sighed, irritated. But when he saw that it was Dana, he relaxed. Dana may have been a chatty person, but she was still the cutest thing ever.

**Dana: **Don't 4get 2 bring Massie over!

Derrick groaned and winced. He would never be able to talk to Massie again.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"So, Massie and you got in a fight, huh?" Josh assumed, dropping himself onto the cement chair next to Derrick.

Cam sat on the left side of Derrick, his eyes alight with amusement. "That's the reason why you're eating outside in the bold October air, right?" He waggled his eyebrows before devouring his melted-cheese-sliding-off-the-side pizza.

Derrick rolled his eyes. As he predicted, Massie made sure that she avoided him at all costs.

"Oh, D," Josh sighed, opening his green bottle of Sprite. "You and Massie always find ways to get mad at each other. And you always let it slide. You need to learn how to avert from getting Massie to be angry with you. If you really do like her, why do you always end up arguing with her?"

Derrick rolled his eyes and absentmindedly punched Cam. He looked up from his pizza. "Dude!" He gestured to his food. "Eating here! Leave me out of the dude talk for a while."

"Cam!" Josh exclaimed. "Put the pizza down and listen to what Derrick's gonna say next."

"For what?" Cam grumbled. "It's not like we didn't see this already coming. Later on in the day, they'll be alright again. It's gonna be something that will always happen, whether we want it to or not. And even if we push them together, they'll never be _together _together." He looked away from Derrick and Josh's piercing brown eyes. "Reason why? Because he has a date with Claire. I'm not one for clichés, but take a look at our lives. It's one big cliché. Sometimes I think that someone out there is watching us from under a microscope and is writing our cliché-filled lives. Seriously, Derrick, Josh. Just leave it alone." He shrugged.

Derrick and Josh exchanged awkward, confused glances. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Derrick stayed glued to his seat, watching as Cam fumbled with his tray.

Josh clapped his shoulder as soon as he left. "He'll be fine, D. Don't worry 'bout 'im."

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Jeez, Claire. Sorry I ever suggested this frock to you." Massie giggled while stretching Claire's light blue layered swing skirt that originally belonged to Massie but was given to Claire to use in their school's play.

"Mass, you know that I look horrible in that thing."

"Claire, you looked good in it. You need to stop being so overdramatic with this. I mean, it's _just _Derrick. It's not like it's Chace Crawford or anything." Massie threw the skirt over her shoulder.

Claire sighed. "Massie, you don't understand. I _like _like Derrick." She waited for Massie's response.

"You know, Claire, I don't even remember you liking him. I thought you, like, were with me in the I-hate-Derrick club."

"In which there are only two members? Yes, Massie, but you're my best friend. You can at least support me. You don't need to like Derrick. I mean, once we're together, he'll fall way in love with me and—"

"Claire; no offense, but it's one date. You're not exactly going on a honeymoon, you know."

Claire's blue eyes narrowed. She turned away from Massie and faced her closet. She needed something that said, "I threw on this outfit in five minutes, but I'm damn hot." So far, she had nothing. At this point in her life, she wished that she looked like Massie who could pull off old newspapers, a potato sack and rotten banana peels. Claire turned around. "How _do _you do it?"

Massie looked up from her neon green nails. "Do what?"

Claire huffed in frustration. "Be hot. Every guy wants _you_. You're so oblivious to it, but it's there. Massie," she winced, tears stinging the backs of her eyes, "what if Derrick doesn't like me?"

Massie's breath caught in her throat. Claire looked so vulnerable, so fragile. Her usually happy eyes died down, the excitement in her voice sounded more bland. It wasn't the usual Claire that you got. Massie could tell that she really was scared. She sighed under her breath. "Claire." The silent mutter led Claire to embrace Massie.

"He'll like you, I promise."

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

**Massie: **MAKE CLAIRE HAPPY

Derrick slid his phone shut. He was sitting in his dad's silver Lexus, gripping the wheel so tight that his knuckles were white. According to his phone, he was three minutes late.

_Come on, Derrick. Be a man. Make Claire happy. _

He took one big gulp of breath before opening his car door and sliding into the darkness. He walked up the stone path and pondered the idea of knocking or just entering. It wasn't necessary, though, because just as Derrick's foot met with the first step, the door opened and Claire scurried out.

Derrick had to admit that she dressed well if given the chance.

Claire turned around to face Derrick. He was wearing a blue and white checkered polo and underneath was a thin brick red hoodie. Both sleeves were rolled near his elbow with the polo's sleeves rolled just a little higher. His jeans looked worn.

Derrick felt his neck warm in embarrassment. Claire looked great in her dark blue blouse with ruffles down the middle and a black vest that fit snugly around her upper body, emphasizing her chest.

_Whoa, Derrick! Don't think about her chest. She's your neighbor, Derrick, don't even try and think about that. _

Her legs were covered with dark wash skinny jeans.

"So Derrick," Claire interrupted his thoughts.

He looked up and into Claire's sky blue eyes. They were beautiful to him, the most wondrous pair of eyes to stare into.

"Let's go?" he asked her, wanting for them to leave.

"Let's," Claire said, closing the door behind her. She followed Derrick to his car, where he opened the door for her. She slid onto the seat with ease, admiring the interior.

Derrick walked around the car, half-excited for their date to begin while the other half couldn't wait for the end.

**-:-**

Claire looked around her. She never knew that Derrick would bring her to Exquisite, her favorite restaurant. The floors were covered in red carpet, the tables and chairs were imported from Spain and were covered with silk tablecloths. The food was excellent, as was the service, and every once in a while, a celebrity would stroll in.

"Do you like it?" Derrick asked.

Claire looked at him in amazement. She nodded her head swiftly so that the clip in her hair loosened.

The waited, who had hair slicked to the side of his face and a mole near his lip, came over with a pad in his hand and a black pen in the other.

"Can I take your order?" His stiff mouth barely even moved.

Derrick nodded at Claire, a gesture for her to order first.

She flipped through the menu and picked the first thing that she saw. "I'll have the fruity emerald salad and water, please." She closed her menu and handed it to the waiter.

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "You can order more, you know."

Claire smiled and shook her head.

"Oh-kay." Derrick caught a glimpse of the waiter's nametag. "Marco, is it? Bring us a bowl of garlic bread. After that, a medium-sized Italian sausage pizza with lots of melted parmesan cheese. Oh, and root beer, yeah?"

The waiter eyed Derrick with hesitation. "And you're sure about that?"

"Uh, no, not really," Claire interrupted. She looked at Derrick with saucer-sized blue eyes. "I'm a vegetarian… So, if you were planning to share the pizza with me…" She trailed off, uncomfortable.

Derrick nodded, understanding on his face. "Then I'll have the Texas-styled barbecued brisket. That sounds really good." He looked up and smiled.

"Alright, sir." He sauntered away with both menus in his hand.

Derrick eyed Claire. "You're a vegetarian?"

"Yep." She nodded.

"That's cool. What about the other two?" He made sure he added in Kristen so that it didn't seem like he wanted only hear about Massie, when in reality, all he really _did _want to hear was Massie.

"Kristen limits herself to what she eats. Massie pigs out, though. That girl can eat three Big Macs and still be hungry. She's lucky 'cause she has a fast metabolism. Kristen plays soccer and works out and everything, so she's pretty thin. I, on the other hand, hate working out and don't have a fast metabolism, therefore, can't pig out."

A different waiter, one who had black streaks in her white-blonde hair and a ring at the end of her eyebrow, placed a red bowl containing garlic bread in the middle of their table. She winked at Derrick and turned away, swaying her hips provocatively.

Derrick stared after her for a while and then grabbed a stick of the bread. He bit into it and started chewing. "So, you've been a vegetarian since when?"

"Like, four months after you left."

Derrick nodded. "So, have you had any past relationships?"

"You mean other than you? No one. I'm not one for dating, you know?"

"Not until me?" He cockily smirked.

"Not until you," Claire giggled.

Derrick realized that Claire's laugh was very tiny, very girly. "How are your parents?"

"Gone, as usual. But it doesn't hurt as much. I've gotten used to not having them around."

"Do you know where they are, though?"

"Nope, not at all. I mean, they send postcards, but I don't bother reading them because all they say not is 'Take care of yourself, honey. Wish you were here!'"

"That's funny. They were here when I moved back."

"Yeah, and they left a few hours after that."

"Oh. Well, if you were wondering, my parents are doing fine. I mean, aside from the fact that my dad's been moving us around a lot, we're okay."

"What do you mean moving—"

"Here you go, sir." The original waiter placed a gelatin-like salad in front of Claire and neatly organized pieces of meat drizzle with barbecue sauce in front of Derrick. He then gave both their drink orders and marched away.

Derrick smiled at Claire. "And you're sure you don't want more than… that?"

Claire smiled politely and nodded. "I'm totally fine with just this. Really."

"Okay," Derrick murmured, picking up his fork.

The two exchanged conversation about each other, catching up about their past lives and what had been happening at Westchester. The night passed on quicker than Derrick thought it would, and an hour and forty-five minutes later, they were standing on Claire's porch again.

"Tonight was fun," Claire commented, a slight grin on her face.

"It was," Derrick answered. And yet Derrick didn't feel satisfied enough; as if he needed to know more. "Claire, will you go on another date with me?" he asked.

Claire beamed. "Of course, Derrick!" she replied, her voice full of excitement.

Derrick chuckled, restraining himself from hugging her tight for accepting his offer. "Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?"

"Most definitely." She smiled at him one last time and then went into her house.

Once she disappeared, a feeling of regret overcame Derrick. His eyes widened.

"What the hell did I do?"

* * *

**A/N: :DD**

**HELLO EVERYONE! It's Ericka, a graduate from the eighth grade! Finally! It's summer time, and I can't waaaaaait. Anyway, that's the reason why I updated: I graduated on the 15****th**** and I felt as if I needed to give a gift to my reviewers. **

**To Massington fans, I'm sorry. Make some room for Clairington, though? Oh, and Monnor (ConnorXMassie). **

**Behind Enemy Lines will be updated tomorrow, I promise! So could you guys read that? **

**Review, please? **

_**Pizzazz, **_

**Ericka (a future freshman!) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Dedicated to Mersaydez for being an amazing author and person(:**

* * *

Derrick woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. The smile quickly disappeared once a strong ache shot through his head. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, "this is what Ke$ha meant about waking up and feeling like P. Diddy." He winced a few times, the pain fading slowly. He heard a knock at his door. "Come in!" He called, his voice slightly hoarse.

The door opened slowly and Dana walked through, her dirty blonde curls bouncing, even if was walking slowly. "Derrick?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

Derrick smirked. "No, Dana, I'm sleep-talking. The reason why I'm answering you so legitimately is because I'm dreaming of this conversation."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Well sorry, Derrick, for caring whether I wake you up or not." She walked up to his bed and sat on the edge, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She was always wearing a denim mini skirt; if not, then capris. She never wanted to hide her toned tennis legs. She stayed quiet, which piqued Derrick's anticipation.

He sat up in bed, not remembering that he had his shirt off. He quickly found his t-shirt to cover up his lean, not-so-bulgy-muscles-but-still-pretty-good upper body. "Dana, are you alright?" he asked.

She stayed quiet for a few more seconds before asking, "Did you have a good time with Claire last night?" Her chin was quivering, but only just.

Derrick examined Dana's expressions. Her eyes weren't welling with tears, and yet he had a feeling that with some bad news, they would. He sighed. "Why do you want to know?" he asked gently.

Dana shook her head, her curls bouncing all over. "I just want to know…" her voice was tiny.

This wasn't the Dana that Derrick knew. Dana was a very alive person; someone you didn't need to be shy around because she always welcomed you into her life. She was so nice and so warm that you'd probably end up telling her your whole life story. It was what Derrick loved about Dana. And right now, he needed to know what was up with his baby sister. "Dana, what's wrong? Come on, I'm your big brother, tell me what's wrong."

Dana's lower lip jutted out a little, causing Derrick's patience to tire out a little. "Dana, come on. You're fourteen, stop acting like a five-year-old. Heck, five-year-olds act better than you."

Dana's shoulders slumped and she dramatically stood up and threw her arms in the air. "Derrick! Don't you see where I'm getting at with this? Massie and you _belong _together! Why did you go out with Claire? I mean, I love her and all, but really? You have no chemistry at all and you don't look good. Do you remember Destiny?" She didn't wait for him to respond and continued on, "Well, she was telling me about Claire and saying that she's a sweetie and that everyone loves her and that she's smart and that she's _too nice_."

Derrick held up a hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, little sister, hold up. Do you _hear _what you're saying?" He threw his dark blue comforters off his body and placed his feet on the ground, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking directly at Dana. "You're explaining the _epitome _of a perfect girlfriend to me; at least, what _Mom _thinks is the perfect girlfriend. But I just find that plain creepy."

"Exactly! That's what I'm trying to prove!" Dana thumped Derrick's head.

"Ow!"

"Shut up, big brother," she hissed. "Look," she sighed. "I love you, and I love Claire, but _j'dore _Massie way more and Massie… If she was my sister-in-law, I'd be the _most _luckiest girl in the world, no kidding." Dana scratched her neck.

Derrick sighed. He knew where this was going with Dana. She loved Massie, and he loved Massie, too, more than Dana could ever imagine. But what happened with Claire last night; they laughed, they ate, they had fun, they reconnected. Derrick didn't feel a spark, but maybe you weren't supposed to feel it on the first date, like how he felt with Massie when he first met her and pulled her hair. "Dana, listen. You know that I love Massie, and that I would do anything for her, but right now, she's with someone el—"

"So fight for her, Derrick! Do something about it! Don't let whoever she's dating get in the way of you two!" She stomped around for extra emphasis.

"Don't do that, Mom's gonna get mad at you," he warned her.

Dana continued stomping around. "Don't worry, she's not here. I told her you were dropping me off." She stopped, smiled smugly at him and went back to stomping around childishly.

Derrick's eyes widened in annoyance. He stood up, grabbed his sister by the shoulders and said, "Dana Christine Harrington, I love you with every bit of me. You can talk to Mom about how much you dislike Claire, you can ride with me every single day for all I care, but you will not, _will not_, stomp around like an immature girl, do you hear me? You were raised better than that. I can handle immaturity, things like randomness and being loud and obnoxious, but you will don't make stomping sounds like the ones you made. Do I make myself clear?"

Dana gulped, her eyes wide and welling up with tears. "All I want for you is the best," she murmured before wriggling out of Derrick's grasp and running out the door.

Derrick's hands were still in the air, still in the same position as if Dana hadn't left. He stayed in the same pose for a few more seconds before moving. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Had he just yelled at his baby sister? The same baby sister who had given him an "I luff u, derik" chocolate cake with the r and k backwards on his eleventh birthday when everyone else seemed to forget. The same baby sister who helped him get better from his flu before his soccer game back in Minnesota.

"Shit," he muttered. Why was his life going horribly wrong?

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Derrick drove slowly to school, having already called Destiny's mom and hearing that Dana caught a ride with them last minute. He apologized vigorously after that, not wanting them to think that the Harringtons abandoned their kids.

But in a way, Derrick felt abandoned by his family. His father had moved them all around the state of Minnesota. Derrick promised to keep all his friends, but all the new ones he made always seemed cooler than that last group he made friends with.

_If I had a dollar for every friend I made and then deserted, I'd be richer than Bill Gates_, he thought.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and continued on driving. His brain conjured up many things to think about: Claire, bananas, how Claire looked last night, the New Moon movie coming up, how it seemed cute that Claire laughed like a little girl, boy bands, why he never noticed Claire before, red popsicles and why they seemed to be the best kind, Claire, Claire, Claire.

He sighed. He really did like Claire and how she seemed so sweet. But why would Dana hate that? _I mean, Dana and Massie were pretty close, closer than sisters even. Just because she and Claire weren't all that close, doesn't mean she has any right to hate her. I mean, Claire is so sweet and she's so nice. _

Derrick gave Claire a second thought. _Well, too nice might get annoying and too sweet? What if I want to prank someone? Massie would be up for it. Massie and Dana would always be getting along. If Claire and I become a "thing", I don't want Dana to only be nice to her because I say so. I want her to be nice to her on her own will. I want them to have what Dana and Massie always had. _

Derrick turned into the school's parking lot and instantly spotted an electric blue car. But before he could park there, a silver Rolls-Royce parked right next to it. Connor came out, a half-smile on his face and his hair blowing in the wind.

He looked like a Greek god.

No wonder why Massie and he were together. The pair, if ever they got married, would have gorgeous kids, maybe even better looking than Angelina Jolie's kids.

_Not that I wanted them to get married. _

Derrick sighed as he watched random girls gawk at Connor and sigh and squeal when he passed by them. He then walked up to Massie and gave her a big hug and a peck on the lips, on her cheek and on her forehead. She laughed and slapped his chest playfully.

Derrick rolled his eyes. He parked his car near Cam's black Hyundai and got out. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He then strolled towards the school where he got bombarded with girls asking him questions.

"Are you single?"

"Why are you dating Claire? You can do better."

"Derrick, what's your favorite TV show?"

And to Derrick's surprise, a lanky boy with thick, red hair threw himself at him. "Have you ever wondered whether a guy could be better for you?"

Derrick's eyes widened and he broke free from them all and ran away. Luckily, they didn't follow. When he reached the oak tree, Josh was chortling with Cam, who was bent over and slapping his knee.

"Duuuuude," Josh coughed up, still laughing.

Kristen and Claire were trying to hold back their laughter while Massie, the one Derrick hoped would be laughing and teasing him just as much as Josh and Cam were going to, stood away from the group, talking to Antonette. Connor seemed to be giving Derrick an apologetic look.

"Shut up, guys," Derrick mumbled. He and Claire awkwardly glanced at each other.

"Do you even know who that was?" Josh asked.

Massie sighed as Antonette went on a rampaging attack on why she was with Connor in the first place. "Look, Massie, if you want to get Derrick on your side, you have to get rid of Connor. I like him and all, and I can see that he really does love you, but really? Don't you think you just went a little too fast with all of this?"

Massie was taken aback. "Nette, you were the one who told me to go and look for another guy to fill in Chris's hole. What the hell are you talking about that _I'm the one going too fast_?"

Antonette grumbled something incoherent and then said aloud, "Yeah, well, when I said look for a guy to fill in Chris's hole, I didn't mean do so in a way that you'd seem like a slut!"

"Are you calling me a slut now?" Massie hissed. "Antonette, you're really getting on my nerves with the crap you're telling me. What exactly is it that you want to tell me?"

"That you belong to Derrick! I saw it the first time that I saw you and him together, when he was on you on the bed." Massie sighed. "Derrick loves you, Massie, don't you see it? He wants to be with you and only you. Why don't you see it?"

Massie's eyebrows came together and she sighed. "Stop it, Nette, okay? You're my friend because you helped me with the Chris thing. But you need to stop saying that Derrick and I should be together—"

"Even if you know it's the right thing to do?" Antonette, even with the big height difference, was even stronger than Massie was. Her brown eyes glared straight into Massie's amber ones, as if she was staring straight into her soul. And in a way, she was. Massie knew that Antonette was lying and that Massie secretly was envious of Claire and her date with Derrick. But a bigger part of her was hoping that Derrick would like Claire so that she could get him out of her hands.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Massie." Antonette turned away and sauntered over to Charles who was staring accusingly at Massie. She gulped and silently walked back to the group where she was greeted with Josh saying, "Hey, Mass, what was that about?"

Massie looked up at him and shook her head. "Oh, you know, we were talking about red firetrucks."

Connor made a I-know-you're-lying-but-I'll-play-along face and hugged her. "It's alright, Massie."

"Damn, Nette's hot. I need to talk to her again," Josh commented while staring at Antonette.

For some odd reason, Kristen felt a little pang of pain in her chest. She turned away from that and looked at Claire who, from the corner of her eyes, was ogling at Derrick who, from the corner of his eye, was glancing at Massie, who from the corner of her eye was looking at Antonette and then at Derrick.

She sighed. What happened to them? They used to be the all-girl group who never worried about boys and dating and here they were, slobbering and falling over each other. She remembered that she and Derrick had a date last night, so she turned away from Claire and then looked at Cam who was glancing from the corner of his eye at Claire.

Her eyes widened in annoyance and she absentmindedly said aloud, "The only sane person in this group is Connor."

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

Claire sat in the back of Mrs. Hopkins class, thinking about what Kristen said. She was going to question her, but the bell rang and she ran off to class without a second glance. She didn't even wave bye.

"Claire, are you okay?" Mrs. Hopkins questioned.

Claire looked up from her nails and nodded her head, a sweet smile on her face.

Mrs. Hopkins nodded, uncertain, and turned away and started chatting about something Claire didn't want to listen to.

_I'm pretty sane. What did she mean about Connor being the only sane person in the group? He wasn't even in the group! Since when was he our friend? Just because Massie and Connor are dating doesn't mean he gets to be in the group that fast. _

_Oh, Claire, what are you talking about? Connor was always in the group; you always liked him because he always respected Massie. You can't wait him because to you, he seemed perfect with Connor. And besides, with them together, now you and Derrick could be lovers. Isn't that the reason why he asked for another date? He had fallen into my charms, right? _

Claire smiled smugly and leaned back in her chair. She reached for her Motorola Rival in her pocket. She pulled it out and quietly began texting.

**Claire: **Hey(: How's UR class gng?

She waited for him to text back, just to see if he would reply.

**Cam: **Oh, it's gng good. My teacher is pretty cool.

She texted back fast.

**Claire: **Can you IM right now? Are you doing anything?

Cam texted back faster.

**Cam: **Sure. I've added you already, right?

**Claire: **Yep. (:

She logged onto her AIM account and waited for Cam to log on.

**You have one IM from CFisher101**

**ClaireBear: **Cam!

**CFisher101: **Claire!

**ClaireBear: **Cam, seriously, I need to talk to you! Stop it.

**CFisher101: **Okay, then, no need to be so stern. You're like my mom. XD

**ClaireBear: **Oh, Cam. Sometimes I wonder about you.

**CFisher101: **Funny. My mom said the same thing a few days ago:)

**ClaireBear: **…

Claire rolled her eyes. Even if Cam was playful like that, and it seemed like she hated it, she absolutely adored it. And she adored it when he knew exactly how she was feeling, as if he was right there next to her and could see her expression.

**CFisher101: **Okay, Claire bear, I'm sorry, I'll stop. –folds hands together- Now, what do you want to talk about on this fine day?

**ClaireBear: **Cameron, seriously, I'll punch you in the place where the sun don't shine if ever you play around during our fine-day talk.

**CFisher101: **Hmm, my mom's never used this line on me before. :P

**CFisher101: **Kidding! Okay, Claire, I'm gonna be serious now. What do you need help with?

**ClaireBear: **I need to talk to you about Derrick.

Cam rolled his eyes and decided against replying. He didn't want to talk to the love of his life about the love of _her _life. That was gonna make him suicidal. He checked all the other people he could talk to. Massie, Josh, Claire and Harris, his older brother, were the only ones online.

He really needed new friends.

**_xoxoDDLSG_**

"Hey, guys! How's it hanging?" Connor asked, taking a seat next to Massie.

Her glazed over eyes brightened as soon as she saw him. She beamed when he kissed her cheek. "How are _you_? How have your classes been?"

"Very fine. But I got in trouble for doodling in class." She reddened and her eyes darted away and to Derrick. For a split second, they held each other's eyes, and she broke it by looking back at Connor.

"Can I see it?" he asked, his grin melting her heart.

"Yes, of course you can." Massie got out her notebook and flipped to the very last page. "Here," she mumbled, handing the book to him.

The paper was full of red and purple hearts, some that showed it's hard work, and then some looking out of place. In every heart, C+M was scribbled on the curve of the right side. It was an amazing piece of work.

Connor smiled. "Massie, sweetie, this is absolutely gorgeous. Can I keep it?"

"Only if you want to," she mumbled.

"Well, I do. Now"—he placed his finger under her chin and tilted her face up—"why do you seem so sad?"

Massie smiled a little. "Not sad. Just tired. I didn't get much sleep. It's because _someone _kept me up last night." She glared directly at Claire.

She laughed and held her hands in the air. "Hey, don't get mad at me. You were the one who kept bugging me for details."

Kristen cleared her throat. "I wasn't in on this?" she asked quietly.

Massie and Claire shared an awkward glance and Massie said, "Well, it's because we knew you weren't awake anymore. And we didn't want to bother you."

"What time did you two talk last night?" she asked.

Josh, Cam, Derrick and Connor all shared uh-oh-girl-problem-coming-on faces.

"We started talking at around 11:30," Claire answered.

Kristen stayed silent. "I was asleep already," she mumbled, sheepish.

Massie shrugged and leaned into Connor. She yawned and closed her eyes. Connor half-smiled and wrapped one arm around her body, pulling her closer. "Mm, don't move me," she grumbled.

"Okay, unless you'd want to fall on your face," he murmured into her hair.

"Yeah, but I know you'd catch me, so I wouldn't fall on my face."

Derrick rolled his eyes at the two. "God, it's a public school, you're not supposed to be PDA'ing whenever you want to, you know."

"Well, technically, Briarwood Academy is a private school. They just don't think that uniforms are any help," Cam corrected him.

Derrick narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Don't make me punch you in the place where the sun doesn't shine, Fisher Toys."

Cam laughed. "Where have I heard that one before?" He caught a glimpse of Claire who crimsoned.

"Shut up, Cam." She went back to forking her salad.

Derrick bit his cheek and felt the urge to go to Claire. So he slid down the seat and nudged her arm. "Hey there."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Hi."

"How've you been?"

"Okay. And you?"

"Totally fine." Derrick got stuck there. He hoped that that wasn't going to be all of their conversations.

"So, anything been happening with you and your family lately?" she asked.

_Well, aside from the fact that my sister doesn't like you as much as she likes Massie and the fact that I may possibly throw up because of how these two love birds are acting, I'm totally fine. Oh, wait, you didn't ask about my love life, only family. I'm such a douche. _

"Oh, you know, everything's fine," he lied.

"Really? You don't seem it. It took you a while to answer."

"No, totally fine, really."

"Oh-kay then. But if you need to talk, I'm here." Claire smiled at him, a twinkle in her blue eyes.

_How could Dana not like Claire? _he thought.

Kristen rolled her eyes at the two who were acting as if they were in their own little world. They only went on one date; they weren't exactly Massie and Connor who actually had a history. She sighed and excused herself quietly, knowing that no one even noticed.

She brought her tray to the end of the school where she placed it on the table where a guy with a white apron took it and dumped its contents. Kristen turned away and headed for the library. She didn't feel like handling the awkwardness at the table.

While walking down the hall, her phone vibrated. She got out her Blackberry and checked it, hoping it was someone who realized she was gone.

**Josh: **IM me.

Kristen raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. Josh was great and all, but she just didn't feel like talking to him, not now. In fact, she didn't feel like talking to anybody at this point. Massie had Connor, Derrick had Claire, Josh had Antonette—or at least half the time he did. Cam was the only one who didn't have anyone. She stopped in her tracks, leaned back on a locker and slid down.

She got out her Blackberry and started typing.

**Kristen: **I h8 it when D person U love is w/ some1 else. Don't U?

She sent that and waited for a reply. None came back; or at least from Cam.

**Josh: **So U decide 2 txt Cam instead of me? What's up w/ that?

Kristen rolled her eyes. That day was horrible and a day she did not want to dwell around any longer. She pushed herself up from the ground and remembered that she left her bag on the floor where she was sitting at earlier.

In anger, she punched the locker. "Damn it!" she growled. "Ugh! Fuck this," she muttered. She ran down the hall and disappeared out the door the same time that Josh came to the spot where Kristen was at. He sighed and spotted the dent in the locker.

He shook his head and walked away from the lockers.

* * *

**AN: This was a really rushed chapter, so any mistakes, anything that doesn't connect (like all my other stories that don't connect), you can point them out to me. **

**Oh, and: Jamie Scott is the most adorable five-year-old alive, I am too much of a Jess Mariano lover, and Dean Winchester is the hottest demon-hunter ever. Just thought you should knowXD **

**Oh, yeah, I changed my name, too. We all need a change now and then, right? :D So I went from _xoxoDDLSG _to _WhereItAllBegins_**

**To all of you reviewers, I love you all and you guys really are the best(: **

**PMs, reviews, fave, subscribe(:**

_**Pizzazz, **_

**WhereItAllBegins(:**


	16. Middle

**Dedicated to lightening. x. pixie, who's story you must read, darlings(: Oh, and credits go to Dez who picked up the phone on the sixth ring and listened to me talk and talk about the weirdest things and gave me the idea for their date(: I love you, Smallz:D**

**Disclaimed? Why, yes, this whole story is. **

* * *

"Wow, today was really awkward," Claire noted while lying on her bed, flipping through To Kill a Mockingbird. She made a face. "I can't believe you read this. I'm a straight-A student, and I hate reading." She tossed the book aside and propped herself up on one elbow.

Massie nodded. "Yeah, well. It's not exactly trying to learn brain surgery, Claire." She rolled her eyes. Claire had been getting on her nerves lately, what with the whole Derrick-Claire date and the next date they were going on. And as if Claire read her mind, she brought it up.

"When do you think Derrick and I will go on our next date? He didn't ask me, but he totally avoided me today. Oh, except during lunch and all those times we texted each other in class." Claire suddenly gasped and bolted straight up. "Do you think he doesn't want to go on that second date with me?" Her blue eyes were wide.

Massie rolled her amber ones. "Oh, Claire; I don't think that Derrick is _that _mean, right? He wouldn't ask for a date and then take it back, don't you think?"

Claire dramatically sighed. "I don't know, M! _You're _the one who's close to him, not me. I'm just your best friend who's totally in love with your enemy."

She laughed. "Oh, Claire, you make me laugh." She shook her head. "Look, I'll call him for the details, would you like that?"

She beamed and stood up. "Oh, really, Massie? Really, really, really?" She clapped her hands and bounced.

Massie chuckled. "Yes, dear Claire. But I still absolutely _hate _his guts." She winked at her and pulled out her phone. She looked through her cell's phone book and looked up. "Oh, uh, I don't… Uh, I don't actually, like, _have _his number…" She smiled sheepishly. After their fight over the phone, she deleted his number in anger.

Claire's face dropped. "Oh… Well, what am I supposed to do, then? I mean, it's not like _I _can call him. That makes me sound so—"

_Riiing! Riiing! _The phone next to Claire's bed started to ring.

Claire and Massie exchanged surprised looks. "You think it's…?" Claire's question trailed off.

"Answer it to see!"

Claire nodded and smoothed down her hair.

"Claire, he's not gonna _see _you!" Massie hissed. She rolled her eyes and stood up while Claire answered the phone, grabbing her bag. Seeing Claire's blush and hearing Derrick's name, she assumed that this was going to take a while. She wondered why he didn't just come over to Claire's house. They _were _neighbors.

Massie exited Claire's room and hopped down the stairs, passed the large foyer and walked out Claire's huge house, making sure that she closed the door properly. She was walking down the street, ready to pass Derrick's house when someone covered Massie's eyes.

Massie didn't scream, she only raised her eyebrows. "Uh, hello there. Can I help you?"

The person behind her, who Massie thought was a girl because of the size of her hands, giggled. "Mass, don't you remember me?" She took her hands off Massie's face and she stepped around her to face Massie.

Dana stood there, her curls framing her beautiful fourteen-year-old face, strands of it sticking to her strawberry-Chapsticked lips.

Massie felt her face glow. "Dana!" she yelled, letting her bag fall off her shoulder and onto the ground. She took her into a big embrace and squeezed her tight.

Despite the tightness of it all, Dana squealed. "Massie! I miss you so much! Oh, my god, you're gorgeous!" She combed her hand through Massie's dark brown curls. "God, Massie, you never kept in touch with me!"

Massie felt her eyes water. She held Dana at arms-length and gave her the once over. Dana had grown into a fine young woman, almost as tall as Massie's five feet and four inches. "Damn, girl, you've grown!" Massie teased, eyeing Dana's chest.

She only laughed and hugged Massie. "Gosh, Mass! You're still my favorite person ever."

Massie chuckled and hugged Dana back. "I hope you haven't been breaking hearts."

Dana only laughed. "Not in this lifetime." She straightened her mini skirt. "Come on to our house. Derrick might want to see you." Her brown eyes were saucer-like and pleading.

Massie chuckled nervously. "I don't think so, no. Uh, why don't we just…" Massie glanced around her, looking for a place to sit and just talk to her favorite fourteen-year- old. She casually placed her bag on the ground and sat on the edge of the sidewalk. "Here! Perfect for us to just sit and talk." Massie patted the space next to her.

Dana raised an eyebrow and then made a face. "Are you seriously suggesting that I, Dana Christine Harrington, sit _there_? While I'm sporting a beautiful white blouse and a denim _mini skirt_?"

Massie chuckled and teased, "I, Massie Elizabeth Block, do seriously suggest that you sit _here_ while you're sporting a beautiful white blouse and a denim mini skirt."

Dana huffed. "But Massie, I don't want to! Come on, please go in the house with me? Besides, it's chilly." She wrapped her arms around her body and fake-shivered. If Dana wasn't Massie's sort-of little sister, she would have walked away already.

She sighed, picked up her bag, and followed Dana who was already skipping towards their huge home. She trailed behind Dana who left the door open. After entering, she dumped her bag next to the door and took off her shoes, placing it under her bag. She closed the door and followed Dana's girly voice to the living room.

Their living room felt very homey, with the warm colored furniture and the way that the plasma screen TV hung over the warm fireplace. The room smelled strongly of Febreze, and the light colored curtains that blocked the sun from the outside were swaying slightly. The soft couches were clean and fresh-looking and was the source of the strong scent.

Massie took a seat next to Dana who sat across from the TV. She shifted her body and comfortably leaned back on the arm of the chair, sitting on her left leg, leaving her right leg to dangle. Dana was sitting cross-legged, with a pillow covering her skirt.

"So, how was Minnesota?" Massie asked.

Dana smiled. "It was okay, I guess. I mean, I did make a few friends and all, but it wasn't as great as some of my friends here. And Massie, I really did miss you. I hated the feeling of being so far from you. I mean, honestly, you were the one that was _always _there for me, and when I left for Minnesota, I don't know…" She looked up at Massie, played with her necklace, and her eyes were welling with tears.

Massie grinned a tiny smile. She eyed what Dana was playing with, and realized that the necklace that she was fingering was the necklace that she had given her. Massie reached over and took Dana's hand in hers. "Is that the necklace I gave you?" she asked.

Dana beamed and nodded. "Yep; still as new as ever. I love it, did you know that?" she looked down at it and read the words. "I always read it to feel better whenever I felt down."

She let go of her hand and leaned back. It was like they had never left in the first place. She could still just lie around lazily, not bothering with the world. Massie looked around her, until she heard loud thumping.

All of a sudden, she heard Derrick's booming voice. "Dana! Dana, where are you? Dana, I need to talk to you about today. Dana!" His voice grew louder, and with every word, Massie cringed internally. She didn't want to see Derrick. Unfortunately for her, she did.

"Dana, look, I'm sorry about today—" he called out, his foot stepping into appearance, and then his whole body, and then his face.

His mouth was still open, but once he saw Massie, he froze, his eyes wide as soccer balls. Massie was turned to see Derrick. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, then turned back to Dana. Dana had a wide ear-to-ear grin on her face. She sprang up and tugged on Derrick's hand.

"Come on, Derrick, sit over here." She pushed him down right next to Massie.

She scrambled around to sit with her feet on the ground. She placed her hands in her lap and sat up straight. Dana gave her a funny look, and sat down on the other sofa.

_Damn you, Dana, _Massie thought.

Dana winked at Derrick and giggled. "You guys look so cute together," she gushed.

Massie's eyes widened. She checked her phone. It was almost five. She stood up and Dana, with eyes enlarged, stood up with her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Massie shook her head, feigning apology. "I'm sorry, Dana, but I must go home. I have, a, uh…" she struggled to come up with an excuse. "Uh, I have a 6:00 therapy session, and I can't be late." She smiled quickly and walked backwards. She finally reached the door and heard Dana calling her name.

_No time, _she thought. She grabbed her shoes and her bag and ran out, shoeless.

Dana only saw Massie's retreating figure. She bowed her head and closed the door. Derrick came up behind her. "I'm sorry," he started.

Dana shrugged, trying to blink back the tears. "It's okay. It doesn't matter, anyway. I have homework to do, so if you'll excuse me…" She walked past Derrick with her head down and only the tiny sound of sniffles could be heard.

Derrick sighed. _I'm sorry, Dana. I'm sorry if I'm not the best big brother ever, like you claim me to be. _He shook his head and walked out the door.

**Where_It_All_Begins**

It was only mere hours before Claire's second date with Derrick, and it was only how many hours ago that Massie was sitting in her current position. Massie yawned, trying to keep her eyes open. Massie went home last night around one in the morning talking to Dana and her life back in Minnesota and how their father didn't make them stay in one city, but in three different cities. Massie could only begin to imagine how difficult it was for Dana to make new friends, dump them and make new friends again. They had talked about Chris Plovert (Dana struggling to pronounce his last name) and Connor Daly. Dana, being Dana, told Massie about how she felt about Connor. According to her, she disliked him because he wasn't Derrick who was sweet and caring and would do anything for her. Massie did not want to believe that. She already had someone to care about her, why add more?

Massie rubbed her eyes and checked her phone. It was 2:15. They were let out of school early because the teachers had a workshop to attend. Massie sighed.

_Forty-five minutes, Massie, _she thought, _only forty-five minutes before you can get out of here and go home and take a nap in your soft, warm bed. _

Massie groaned and scratched her head in frustration. "Claire!" Massie called. "It's 2:15 on a Friday, we have no homework and I fell asleep last night at around two. I need to _sleep_."

Claire made an entrance from her closet. She was clothed with a simple lavender v-neck shirt, a black and blue DC jacket that originally was in Massie's possession (she always took from Massie), medium-wash bell-bottom jeans and gladiator shoes.

Massie exaggeratedly groaned and threw her arms over her head. "That's it and you made me wait for you?" She scratched her neck. "Claire, I'm not going to be in your life forever to wait for you to get dressed. One day, I'm gonna be so sleepy that I wouldn't be here."

Claire ignored Massie and twirled in a circle. "Do I look okay?"

Massie, sitting cross-legged on Claire's maroon rolling chair, only nodded her head, only caring to go home and go to sleep. "Claire, please, you look great, even if you're only going to a freaking, what, _zoo_?" Massie shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't wear espadrilles wedges at a zoo."

Claire giggled. "I wasn't thinking of wearing espadrilles wedges, but I'll remember that."

Massie absentmindedly nodded and stood up, stretched her numb legs and gave Claire a meaningful look. "You do look great, sweetie. Even if you're only going to the zoo."

Claire beamed. "Thanks, Massie." She walked to her and embraced her tightly.

"Okay, Claire," Massie said, letting go of her, "I gotta go now, but don't forget to call me after your date, okay?"

Claire nodded. "I guess I should wait up here, huh?"

Massie chuckled. "Only if you want to. It's your house, and it's pretty darn big. You could be in the bathroom for all I care." She smiled one last time and grabbed her bag. "Good luck," she whispered.

She left the room and took the stairs one at a time, thinking about the day. Kristen had been absent from school. Massie wondered whether she should check on her, then thought better about it. She wouldn't want to be bothered. Maybe she just needed some Kristen time, especially since she knew that Derrick and Claire were sort of dating and that Claire and she were talking without her.

She sighed and opened Claire's huge glass door. She looked up and gasped lightly. Derrick was standing outside, looking clean cut with a plain Hollister shirt and Diesel jeans. Massie swallowed and held her head high, planning on just pushing past him. But Derrick didn't hear that plan.

"Massie," he breathed, his eyes going alight.

Massie resisted rolling her eyes and stiffly said, "Derrick."

"How've you been?" he asked quickly.

"Fine. But I need to go now, so if you will excuse me…" she trailed off and made an attempt at pushing past him, but that attempt failed when he grabbed her arm.

"Massie, can I please talk to you?"

"No, you can't, Derrick. Can you please let go of me?" she answered hotly. Already she felt her temper boiling. That's when it all started; when Derrick the Ego Maniac came back. If only he could just leave like Massie wanted him to.

"Please, Massie? I need to talk to you." He slicked his tongue over dry lips and let go of Massie's arm. "I'll only be a minute."

Massie shook her head. "No, Derrick. When I say no, I mean no. I don't want to talk to you, don't you get that? I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear about you, I don't want you to touch me. I just want you to go back to Minnesota so that everything could go back to normal." Tears welled up in her eyes as she glared at him dead on. "I _hate _you here, Derrick."

Derrick felt his heart sink deep into his stomach area, maybe even deeper. He shook his head, denying that he heard that. "No, Massie, you don't mean that…" he muttered to himself.

A big fat tear fell over the edge of her eye. "Yes I do, Derrick," she whispered angrily. She finally pushed past him and stormed away, not sparing him a second glance.

Derrick's mouth was still left open, his arm still in the air. He swallowed and gathered himself together, closing the door and ringing the doorbell. A light chime rang and he cleared his throat and shook his head to get his hair out of his face.

Claire came bounding down the steps, a giddy expression on her face. She ran to her door and slid a little, making sure she didn't look dorky. She used her hands to flatten her messed up hair and took a few deep breaths. _Come on, Claire, you're already a dork enough. _She flipped her stick-straight blonde hair over her shoulder and opened the door.

Derrick was standing there, looking like Claire's Prince Charming; or at least what she thought he'd look like. He smiled and asked, "Are you ready?"

Claire smiled and nodded, stepping out and closing the door behind her. Derrick stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked down the steps, and down the driveway to his car. Claire scrutinized his every move. He seemed a little off to her, like he wasn't acting the way Claire assumed he was going to be. Claire's thoughts immediately led her to other thoughts. _What if he didn't want to go on this date after all? And he didn't want to tell me because he doesn't want to hurt me? Oh, God, Claire, it's because you were such a loser on the first date! Ugh, telling him that you're a freaking vegetarian? Now he's gonna think you're an insecure little girl who knows nothing about relationships. _Claire's eyes widened as she walked, zombie-like, to Derrick's car and got in. Claire hadn't noticed that she had actually hit her head while entering the car.

Derrick raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother with it. It was her head, after all.

Claire leaned back on the soft chair, staring into the distance. _Derrick wouldn't like me, of course, because he likes someone else. Or because, honestly, I'm not someone anyone would fall for. I'm bland and no one likes me because I'm a sweet innocent girl who actually wants to wait till my honeymoon to have sex. No one's gonna love me because I'm always with Massie and Kristen who are just better than me in any way. How Massie can make friends instantly and actually stay in touch with them; how Kristen is just this sassy and guy-ish girl, but is actually a gorgeous chick who any guy could just get along with. And every time you looked at me, you saw the girl that everyone overlooked, the one that was silent and no one 'cool' wanted to hang around with because I'm a nerd. And it's not even the good kind of nerd, like Massie, but the sucky kind of nerd that everyone takes advantage of. _

Claire recalled the time that Britney, the strawberry-blonde that asked her to pick up decorations for the National Honor Society's Halloween dance.

_See? Everyone just walks right up to me and expects me to just do whatever they want me to do. But not this time. I won't let it happen anymore. _

Claire clenched her teeth together. She could feel it already; she wasn't going to let Britney boss her around, just because she was a crappy president of the National Honor Society.

_She never does anything, and here she goes, demanding that I do things that she needs to take care of. Well, not anymore. Never, ever will I let anyone do something as mean as that to me ever again. _

"Claire?" Derrick said, hoping that Claire was okay. They were already at Westchester Zoo, and Claire hadn't answered any of the questions that Derrick asked her.

"Huh?" she replied, dazed.

"We're here, Claire. At the zoo?" He pointedly looked out the window.

Claire nodded and smiled at him. He was a good-looking guy that needed her undivided attention. How selfish it was of her to be only thinking of herself.

"Let's go, then!" she excitedly said.

Derrick's eyebrows went together and he breathed in deeply. "It's okay if you don't want to go on this date, Claire, I hope you know that. I can drive you home if you want."

Claire shook her head. "No, really, it's okay. Seriously." She smiled at him before opening her door and sliding out of the car easily.

Derrick did the same, only more hesitant. He examined her face from over the roof of his car, and he was disappointed at her tamed face. She was smiling, but only faintly, and it wasn't the expression that he had wanted. He wanted a very loud, obnoxious expression on her face. Someone to tease him that the zoo was a cheap date, but enjoy it all the same. But this was Claire, and he had to accept the fact that she wasn't Massie, in any form or mental alikeness.

"Let's go?" Derrick asked, hoping that Claire didn't see his face.

She stared unwillingly at the zoo and looked over at Derrick with a tight smile. "Yeah, let's go."

Derrick awkwardly walked in front of his car and walked next to Claire on their way inside the zoo. When they entered, they were greeted with loud, raucous noises that filled Claire's ears and stored themselves into her memory. She internally cringed from the loudness of it all; this was _not _her nature, and never will it be.

They first passed a group of monkeys in a large cage, which Claire found very mean. She saw a large group of first graders watching them, eating their popcorn and laughing at them. Derrick grabbed Claire's arm and dragged her to the monkeys. They were swinging on the branches and some of them were eating bananas in the corner.

Derrick, next to her, laughed and pointed at one of them and looked at her. "You look like a lot like that one, Claire," he teased, hoping a tease back.

She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "What did you say?"

Derrick stopped laughing when he saw that she wasn't going to laugh with him. "Uh…" he stuttered. "Uh, I was saying that…" _Damn you, Derrick_, he thought.

"That I looked like a monkey?" Claire continued for him.

Derrick's eyes widened a bit. "Um, no?"

Once Claire saw his expression, she softened and forced a cold chuckle. Derrick pressed his lips together and darted his eyes from side to side to look for someone to chat with, even if only for a while. He had planned out this date; they would walk around, talk and eat popcorn and maybe cotton candy—if Claire approved—and they'd be home by six. He didn't plan on having her out all day, especially since he felt like hanging with her tomorrow at his house, just because he knew that Dana didn't like Claire.

They continued on walking and Derrick saw a guy in the middle of a thin crowd holding balloons. Derrick beamed and brought Claire over to the guy. She eyed him and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To get you a balloon," he answered quickly.

Claire raised an eyebrow. _Okay, this is not going how I wanted it to go. _"Uh, I don't want one, Derrick."

He was a few steps ahead of her when he turned around. "Why not?"

Claire's eyebrows went together. "Because I think that balloons are only for five-year-olds."

Derrick's lips parted and he sighed. Claire was definitely getting on his nerves. Where was the fun of being at the zoo if you weren't going to laugh and get balloons and eat sweet cotton candy?

"Claire…"

"Derrick…"

He sighed. "Do you want to go home?"

Claire's jaw plunged to the floor. "Do _you _want me to go home?"

"I don't know, Claire," he muttered, not wanting to hurt her seemingly damaged feelings. "I was asking you whether _you _wanted to go home."

Claire clenched her teeth together and stormed off to the car. She knew she was being a baby; but she's seen Skye Hamilton do it, and she's been getting a lot of attention for it. _Whoa, did I just make a reference towards Skye Hamilton? _Claire asked herself once she reached Derrick's car.

He was right behind her, following her. "Claire, Claire, honey, please…" he trailed off with nothing else to say. What was there to say? It's not like if he gave her a Blow Pop, she'd be happy. He didn't even know if she liked Blow Pops.

Claire sighed and her eyes welled up with tears. This was not Claire; she admitted it to herself that maybe it was funny that Derrick compared her to a monkey and that balloons are fun. But a part of her knew that Derrick only said and did those things because it reminded him of Massie, the one who could go with the flow of everything and not complain but make it fun for everyone.

"I'm not going to be Massie, Derrick," Claire whispered into the cold, October air and slid down the car onto the hard ground, earning her butt a bruise from the button on her back pocket.

Derrick couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and roll his eyes, a little annoyed. "Of course, Claire; I kind of already knew that."

She shook her head and felt her hot tears fall onto her cheeks. Derrick's mouth popped open, and he soon closed it when he slid down onto the ground next to her, but more graceful. "Are you okay, Claire?"

She shook her head and when she looked up at him, it made her cry even more. "I hate that everyone likes Massie more than they do me. I hate that when everyone overlooks me. I hate that everyone thinks that I should be some darling sweetie pie, even if I want to break down and just party…"

Derrick sighed. "Are you describing yourself or are you describing Miley Cyrus?" He made a face. "No offense or anything, but you know… Miley Cyrus… Yeah… I'm not extremely fond of her…"

Claire rolled her eyes and wiped away the tears that streaked her face. "What are you talking about you don't like Miley Cyrus? She's a cool girl, very talented."

Derrick winced. _How could Massie live with this girl? _"Okay, Claire, what really is wrong here?" he asked, hoping that he could get a solid answer.

He could hear in the background kids laughing and running around. He wanted to be a part of that scene, but how could he? He didn't want to just leave Claire; that'd result in a beating from an amber-eyed girl.

"What's wrong? Derrick, you can just sit there and ask me what's wrong?"

Derrick, the bumbling idiot that he was, just sat there, a dazed look on his face. "Uh… Claire, seriously… I'm just a dude that wanted to see the giraffes here." He knew that that wasn't the right answer, but what else could he say? He wasn't Dr. Phil.

Claire groaned. "Derrick, take me home, okay?" She started to stand up, but sat back down when Derrick tugged on her arm.

"Claire, tell me what's wrong. I won't take you home until you tell me."

It was silent for a little while after that. It was awkward; Claire avoided looking at Derrick who was staring at her, his eyebrows pushed in and up. Cold air blew, making Claire's hair fly. Derrick sighed next to her. "Please, Claire…" he pleaded.

She swallowed. "Fine." She bit her bottom lip. "I think that you like Massie. Not even like, but love." She shook her head slightly. "But I like you, Derrick. I like you a lot, and I want to spend time with you. I want to get to know you better. This isn't something I'd normally do or say, but I've learned that to get what you want, you have to voice it, and so here I am, voicing my opinion. What do you think about that?" She looked at him, her powder-blue eyes still moist and her bottom lip jutted out a little.

Derrick looked into her eyes. He thought they were beautiful; that she was beautiful and perfect and everything that his mother would want him to have. It darkened after that. The clouds rolled in and shadows began to disappear. It seemed like it went quiet and he knew that in a weird way, he needed Claire in his life; that no matter what happened, she'd be there always, whether he liked it or not.

He pulled her into a hug and _pitter-pat _it began to rain. It fell onto Claire and Derrick and got them soaking wet. It was freezing for both, but with Derrick's arms around her, Claire felt more secure, like nothing could touch her. Not even his love for Massie.

_But I've only loved one person. Is it so wrong if I fight for her, even if it hurts others? _The other half of Derrick, the more sensible one, repeated in his head.

* * *

**A/N: -stares at audience- **

**So, why did the chicken cross the road? Aha… No. Review for this horrible chapter that I wrote? And if this is getting on your nerves, I'm deeply sorry. **

**Song at the moment: Two Worlds Collide by Demi Lovato XD**

**Oh, and I don't know, but I find this incredibly funny: On Wednesday, I was with Desiree at a book store where I got flipped off by a third grader and got called the "b" word by a sixth grader. Hahahahaha! Funny stuff, eh? **

**PMs, suggestions for end pairings and reviews? I accept them all(:**

_**Pizzazz, **_

_**Ericka/WhereItAllBegins/formerlyxoxoDDLSG**_


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Dedicated to Anna who Formspring'd me and asked me amazing questions(: Thank you for reading this! (: Oh, I changed something about this story. Let's see if any of you find out what that is;) Oh, and if you see any mistakes, please excuse them—meaning the POV, if I accidentally use I or my or things like that. It's because I'm writing two stories with a first person POV and sometimes I'd get mixed up. :P**

**Disclaimed because this isn't mine. Take a guess who it belongs to(: No, not Ryan Seacrest; it's Lisi Harrison XD**

* * *

Massie woke up the next morning with her phone flooded with text messages. She sighed and rolled her eyes, reading the messages.

**Claire: Need 2 talk abt d8. It didn't go so good. I'm scared :'(**

**Derrick: M, need 2 talk, pls. listen to me?**

**Kristen: Hey, I'm sorry for my attitude, k? **

**Antoinette: Hey, hey, how's my fave damsel in distress? How's life? ;)**

**Antoinette: "Smile bcuz U never know who's falling in luff w/ it".**

**Antoinette: Or something along the lines of that… (:**

Massie laughed. Antoinette was the only person there that Massie had actually wanted to talk to and whose message hadn't annoyed her. She replied back,

**Massie: Ahaha, u crazy girl. Life is… bitchy XP. Hope everything's good w/ u(:**

She sent that and scratched her head. Her phone vibrated, and she thought, _Wow, she texted back fast. _She checked the name and discovered that it wasn't Antoinette, but Connor.

**Connor: Babe, wanna hang out 2day? I have an idea 4 a date. **

Massie winced the sleep out of her eyes. She groaned and closed her eyes again, feeling her phone vibrate. She rolled her eyes. "Will there be a day where everyone would just leave me alone?" she questioned.

She brought her phone to her face and read the message.

**Antoinette: Darling, I'm here 4 u, 'member that, k? & life is treating me well, but I need 2 help u.**

Massie sighed and rolled over in her bed. She went back to Connor's message and replied.

**Massie: Sure(: What r we doing? Do I need 2 bring anything over?**

She sat up in bed and stretched. She sat there, dazed, looking around the room as if she didn't remember where she was. Again, her phone vibrated.

**Connor: Just u & xtra clothes;) Come over at 11:30, if u can. **

Massie sighed and checked the time—10:47. She groaned again in irritation and fell back on her bed. Connor would have to wait for her.

**-:-**

Massie hopped out of her blue convertible and slammed her door shut. She ran a hand through her curls and fixed her t-shirt and capris that wrinkled on the drive to Connor's neighborhood.

Connor was sitting on his front porch's steps, twiddling his thumbs. He looked up and beamed. "Hey, Massie," he greeted, standing up and hugging her.

She smiled and hugged him back. "Sorry if I'm late. I was just so lazy to get out of bed, you know?"

Connor nodded, although he didn't. In fact, he was more of a morning person. "It's 'kay." He smiled and led Massie towards his silver Rolls-Royce. Next to it was two buckets of soapy water, a hose, and other things that Massie had no idea how to use.

"Uh," Massie uttered, "what is this?"

Connor looked at Massie, surprise on his face. "Uh, what do you mean 'what is this'?" He bent down to pick up the green snake-like hose and straightened up. "We're gonna clean my car." He beamed, as if the idea was perfect.

Massie's eyes widened. "Huh?" she asked, sounding stupid.

Connor's eyebrows went together and he repeated, "We're gonna clean my car."

"As a date?"

Connor chuckled. "Are you okay, Mass? You seem slow today." He turned away and kicked his sandals to the side.

"You can't even begin to imagine…" Massie muttered under her breath as she grabbed a heavy red bucket and pulled out a big pink sponge.

Connor soaked the car, Massie thinking that he would spray her, as well. To her disappointment, he didn't. Massie's eyebrow twitched as she asked, "Connor, you do know that a washing a car will possibly get you wet, right?"

He went around his car and continued spraying all the dry spots. "Yeah, but I don't want to get you wet. You could get sick. Now we don't want that, do we?" He looked up at her, winked and clucked his tongue.

Massie resisted splashing her bucketful of water on him. "What sort of a car wash is this if you can't get wet?" she asked, slapping her soaking wet sponge on the front of the car.

"A dry one," Connor replied, chuckling at his own joke.

Massie forced a smile and ran the sponge up and down the car. She gritted her teeth together, wishing that Connor hadn't called her at all.

**Where_It_All_Begins**

"Hey, Derrick," Dana said, plopping down on the couch next to him. She let a can of cherry Coke fall onto his lap.

He sighed. They were hiding in the basement. It was the same as it was since they left; carpeted walls and floor and the u-shaped couch. The only thing added was the 32 inch plasma screen TV and the Xbox set.

Derrick paused the game of Call of Duty he was playing and looked at the Coke in his lap. He tossed the controller to the side and opened the can, the loud crackling sound ringing in his ears. "Hello." He took a short gulp of the fizzy drink. "So, you forgive me, eh?"

She rolled her eyes and took a swig of her Sprite. "Nope," she replied, popping the p.

Derrick sighed and rolled his head, knowing that she wasn't going to back down that easily. She was as stubborn as Massie was, something that Derrick found weird. "Okay, so why are you here, then?"

Dana slurped her soda loudly and smacked her lips. "Nothing. It's just that Claire called and she was wondering if she could come over today."

Derrick nodded, not having the thought process in his head yet. Until he saw Dana's blank face. His eyes widened and he said, "What did she say? What did you say? When is she coming? What are we going to do? What should I wear?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "What color is an orange? What's the difference between stalagmite and stalactite? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?"

Derrick didn't pay attention to Dana's snappy attitude. He continued to ask his questions. "So what did she say? Come on, Dana, tell me."

She drank her Sprite again and leaned back, crossing her Capri-clad legs. "Hmm… Well…" She shrugged. "I told her not to come over until 2:15. Said you needed some alone time after watching Titanic." She smirked at him and jumped up, trotting up the stairs.

Derrick's mouth was agape as he stared at his annoying Massie-esque sister. It was scary as he came to the conclusion that both Massie and Dana were alike. The only real difference about them was their eye and hair color—but if those features were similar, then they'd be as true as sisters.

He closed his mouth when he heard his sister's fading voice, "You don't want flies to attract attention to you." He rolled his eyes and checked his phone—1:30. He still had enough time to take a shower and clean up around the house; they had only moved here and his mother had yet to find good maids.

After taking a lengthy shower and doing his best to clean up around his enormous house, he waited for Claire to arrive, taking a seat in his living room. He felt like he was waiting to be called to the doctor's office instead of waiting for Claire. His hands were folded and on his lap and he was sitting up straight with his eyes set straight ahead. He lifted his eyebrows at himself and collapsed on his couch. But just as his back touched the spongy couch, the door bell rang. He groaned and lifted himself off the couch.

He pulled the door open and there was Claire, smiling widely, rocking back and forth on her toes and heels. He half-smiled and said, "Hey. Come in." He pulled the door wider and she stepped in, the strong scent of her Herbal Essences shampoo breaking his senses. He shut the door behind him and led Claire to the basement.

On the walk down the steps, she was touching the brick red-carpeted walls. Even Derrick had found them unattractive for a while, until he learned to ignore them.

"So what are we going to do today?" Claire asked.

Derrick looked over his shoulder and spotted the look of disapproval on her face. _Probably because of this room. _

"Oh, you know, we could watch a movie or something, I don't know," Claire suggested. Her eyes were glancing around her, taking in the unsightly room. It was a place that only Massie would find adorable, and a place that Kristen would go yammering on about how odd it was to have something like a dog on the walls. But it was definitely not Claire's place.

"A movie?" Dana's girly voice echoed. She sauntered into the room, a faux-smile plastered to her face. "Why, Claire Lyons! How it's nice to see you after all this time!" Derrick could hear the fakeness in her voice, and he wondered whether Claire could hear it, too.

To his surprise, she didn't.

"Dana!" Claire yelled, embracing her.

Dana's eyes widened as she was swallowed by Claire's softness. She kept her arms stiff to her sides and she forced a grin at Claire.

"Come on, sit," Claire said, leading her to the middle of the u-couch. "How've you been?" she asked.

"Good," Dana replied evenly.

"Okay," Claire said, nodding. She looked at Derrick who shrugged.

"What movie?" he asked.

"Mean Girls," Dana rapidly answered. "Best quotable movie ever."

Claire's eyebrows scrunched together. "Oh," she muttered. "I find that movie quite unrealistic."

Derrick's eyebrows jumped as he straightened himself up. He had already fed the DVD player the movie CD and the 2004 trailers were quickly being shown. He knew for a fact that anyone who dissed Mean Girls, Dana's favorite movie, was possibly never going to be able to walk again.

"What did you say?" Her tone was pinched, tight.

"Uh…" Derrick's eyes were wide and he was ready to pounce on Dana if she was to claw out Claire's beautiful blue eyes.

"I said that Mean Girls is a stupid, unlikely movie. I mean what's the chance of all of that really happening? It's a parody of a real teenager's life. And the influences it has on a person." She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Including Lindsay Lohan's horrid acting. Amanda Seyfried, as a background character, even shined brighter than she did." Claire shrugged.

Dana's eyes were wider than soccer balls. Derrick sighed wearily and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you have to admit that it's funny. And it's smart because, okay, fine, I agree that the whole zoo-animal thing is so not realistic, but you have to admit that the whole plot of the story is close to what a real teen has to go through. I mean, sure, The Clique sort of comes as unrealistic, but that's just to make the whole storyline juicier." She ran a hand through her hair and subtly moved over, so that she wasn't so close to Claire.

She smiled politely and crossed her ankles, something Claire did if she was nervous. She knew that Dana was closer to Massie and that she preferred her over her any day.

_But today, she has to put up with me, and I have to put up with her. _

Derrick sat in between Dana and Claire while watching the movie. Throughout the whole thing, Dana recited lines that she memorized by heart, and even stood up to do a few of the actions. Claire even chuckled along to a few of it.

After the movie, Dana jumped up, straightened her shirt and looked down at me and Claire. "I'm going to talk to Massie. She appreciates good art." She pointedly glanced at Claire and walked away and up the stairs.

Derrick awkwardly caught a glimpse of Claire. She was biting her lip and had her arms across her stomach. "She doesn't like me, does she?" she murmured.

He held his breath and stayed still in the hope that she wouldn't remember he was there. But alas, she wasn't a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and she repeated her question. "She doesn't like me, does she?"

He let go of his breath and tightly replied, "I'm not sure."

"Don't lie to me, Derrick," she whispered, her voice quivering. "She doesn't like me, but she likes Massie, right? She likes her way more than she likes me?"

Derrick gritted his teeth together. There were times when Derrick felt the need to strangle Dana and lock her in a room full of lions. And this, this was one of those times. "Uh, well, you know, I mean, I guess that with Massie, she feels more comfortable and everything. I mean, Massie is Dana's favorite person in the world, you know? They've always been close. They're so alike in so many ways." _Like how sometimes I wanna strangle them. _"And just together, I understand them."

Claire took in a ragged breath and faced Derrick, her eyes justly moist. "What about you?"

He looked at her, too. His brown orbs met sincere, baby blue ones. He smiled and studied her face. "Me? Well, in all honesty, I'm sort of developing a little adoration towards you." He hadn't finished his sentence when he felt Claire's lips on his. They were soft and small and lips that Derrick had never touched. Their teeth bumped a lot, but Claire wasn't discouraged. She was even courageous enough to meet the tip of his tongue, but pull her tongue back in.

When they pulled apart, Claire looked into brown, saucer-wide eyes.

"Wow," they both said under their breaths.

**Where_It_All_Begins**

Kristen checked her phone—3:45. She had just finished her run and was turning the corner of Columbus Market, a local store there in Westchester. As usual, she had beaten her own personal record—eight miles in only 24 minutes. She didn't know how she did it, but she did. And another thing; she hadn't broken a sweat. It was something that both Massie and Claire were jealous of. She sharply tilted her head side to side to relieve the tension that had built there while running.

She wasn't paying attention to where she was going when she bumped into something hard. "Oh," the recognizable voice said, grabbing Kristen's arm before she stumbled back.

She looked up—it wasn't a _something_. It was a some_one_. And it was a very cute someone. "Josh," she breathlessly said.

He smiled at her, looking relieved. "Hey-hey, KK." His eyes were gleaming with bliss. "How are you? Where've you been the past couple of days?"

She beamed back and she started walking, hoping that he would follow. And follow he did. "Oh, here and there, you know?"

He was in step with her, his hands in his pockets. "Where is here and there, exactly?"

She didn't bother looking at Josh. No way would she do that. "Oh, you know, there and here," she cracked lamely.

He chuckled. "No, but seriously, Kristen. Everyone's worried about you. I mean, after the thing that happened the other day. That's just not you, you know?"

Kristen shrugged. "I just needed to do something. To get my mind off of everything and everyone. It's not important, anyway."

_It is to me, _he thought. "Uh," he stammered, trying to erase the thought of Kristen being with some other guy, "you run, right? Play soccer?" _Gah! Lame, Josh, you're so freaking lame. _

Kristen smiled wider. "Yes, yes, I do."

"That's cool. I play lacrosse, actually, but you know, whatever. They're almost the same thing." He nodded at a blonde that was flirtatiously smiling at him.

For some off reason, Kristen took a disliking to the blonde. She cleared her throat and tugged on her ponytail. "So why are you here?" she asked, hoping to continue the conversation.

It took a while for Josh to answer. A distant look in his eyes replaced that of the one earlier. He finally said, "Just needed to run an errand."

Kristen's eyebrows went together. She stepped away from an old lady who was walking down the sidewalk. They were nearing Westchester's park. Only one… More… Turn.

"Hey, let's talk in the park?" she suggested.

Josh nodded his head and they finally took that turn. The park was one of Kristen's favorite places; with it's always green grass—the same green as her eyes—the loud sound of children's laughs nearby, and how everyone still had a picnic here every now and then, it reminded her that aside from the dreadful occurrences happening around the world, there was still a bit of happiness for everyone.

"Josh?" Kristen said, following Josh's suit and sitting on the empty space next to him on the brown bench. "Not to poke around or anything, but what errands did you do?"

Again, the faraway look. "Oh, you know, this and that. That and this."

"Josh, we're not gonna have a this and that and that and this and here and there and there and here conversation, are we? Because I'd seriously leave you here if we do."

He snickered. "I'm sorry, Kris." He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, just to let you know, I went to buy milk and eggs for my mom."

"Oh, okay." She eyed Josh. "And where are they?"

"Which, the milk and the eggs?"

"No, Josh, the purple llama and the glow in the dark camel." **(AN: Sorry, but just wanted to say that that was for Tessagon:])**

Josh chuckled. "Well, if you _are _talking about the llama and camel, they're at the zoo. And about the eggs and milk…"

"Okay, for the llama and camel thing, I'll hold you to that. And with the eggs and the milk. Let me guess; you were really thirsty and drank all the milk and someone bumped into you, causing the eggs to fall and break to its deathly death?" Kristen offered a skeptical smirk.

He swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly how it happened."

Kristen's smirk became more pronounced. "How far are you going to take this story, Josh?"

"As far as it can go," he replied immediately.

"Well I suppose that you should stop because, darling, it's not getting too far." Kristen crossed her ankles and redid her ponytail.

Josh sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Wanna know the truth?"

"Of course, Josh. I'm not bugging you with my insanity to get a quarter from you, aren't I?"

He half-smiled and said, "Antoinette broke up with me."

Kristen's lips parted, and her mouth opened wider, as if to say something.

"You don't have to say anything. I sort of saw this coming. It's not like I like-liked her. And besides, she didn't feel up for a boyfriend at this time. She said she had something else to think about, something like helping people or whatever. I don't know why I even went out with her in the first place." He shrugged.

Silence overcame the duo until Kristen piped up. "So, kumquats, huh? What are they, really?"

Josh smiled and began to explain what a kumquat was.

"Yeah," Kristen interrupted, "the thing is, I really don't care."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. I don't know what a kumquat is, either," Josh admitted.

Kristen laughed, throwing her head back. "Okay, Mister-Mister, you have a project."

"What, to help you bail out of jail when Train finds out that you've been going around labeling people Mister-Mister when they already copyrighted that?" he joked.

She laughed again, a laugh that Josh stored to memory. "Oh, Josh. No, your project is to find out where you can find a purple llama and a glow in the dark camel. I was serious about that, you know." A smile was still on her lips and Josh found himself wanting to kiss her.

He shook the thought away from him. "Hey, ever heard of Arctic Monkeys?"

Kristen raised an eyebrow. "I'm hoping that that's a shampoo or a brand." She giggled and light pink blotted her face. "Explain them to me, please."

Josh, smiling, went into a deep elaboration on the English band and they both exchanged common ground in their love of food and some types of music and sports. Laughs were thrown around and people around them stared at them, smiles on their faces.

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**AN: XD**

**Finally, dearies! Updated(: Well, it's 3:47 AM and Mayday Parade's **_**Ocean and Atlantic**_** has been blasting from my earphones for the past few hours. **

**Review, darlin'? **

_**Peace, yo! **_

_**ErickaLoops **_


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Look, an update(: And I just want to thank all of you who review this story:) I love you all:D**

**Disclaimed because I'm tuna-pear-cobbler like that XD I don't know… I'm an oddball. I know. ;)

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**

_Guess who I saw today? Massie was with Connor. She didn't look happy, though. In fact, she looked angry at him. _

_Guess what they did? They cleaned cars. Who does this Connor guy think he is? In Massie's defense, I find that extremely boring. He seriously needs to learn how to clean up his act or Massie is leaving him. _

_For someone better. _

_Say… _

_Me?_

_I find that unlikely, though. I see her staring a little at Claire and Derrick. I find them a very irregular-looking pair. Too blonde for my liking. Derrick—I know the name. The way that I study him. _

_He's crazy. _

_Cocky. _

_Sarcastic. _

_Athletic. _

_Good-looking. _

_And definitely someone sweet. If that weren't the case, Claire wouldn't be out with him. _

_And in short, Massie's perfect guy. I wouldn't be any surer of myself._

_In fact, I made a song about them. Want to hear it? Okay, here we go. _

_**Connor and Massie sitting in a tree; I'll push them off and they will see; how annoying they can be.**_

_**It won't be once, and it won't be twice, but I'll kill him off, and we'll see who pays the price.**_

_Beautiful, is it not? I wrote it myself. I find it quite delightful, my musical talent. Hmmm. Another thing I find delightful? Derrick's little sister. _

_Her name… _

_Dana Christine Harrington. _

_She reminds me of a blonde Antoinette, the little chatter. Apparently, she loves Mean Girls and isn't very fond of Claire Stacey Lyons. _

_My, my, my. For a fourteen-year-old, however, I'd fuck her. _

_Ooh, you probably didn't want to hear that. _

_But how can I help myself? I've drowned myself in girl after girl after girl. They all look the same to me, though. I vaguely remember, though, a thicker girl. I think her name was Vivian; in her early 20s. _

_I told you, I've seriously lost it. If only Massie listened to me. _

_If only she listened that it was my uncle that put it all together. He wanted a sex tape. He found the hottest girl at Briarwood, and he enjoyed watching me. He said I turned him on. Gross, eh? It absolutely is. Of course, he was thrilled with the whole sex tape. Right after Massie left, I had to finish it. My uncle, Uncle Mike, had thanked me with two thousand dollars. _

_TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. _

_Where else can I get that? Okay, I can get money from my parents whenever, but at the moment, it sounded right. _

_I didn't even have to pay Alicia. Once I asked her to come over, she came over, alright. She was half-naked under a large trench coat. Okay, I admit, I enjoyed Alicia, definitely, I mean, who wouldn't?_

_But I was thinking of Massie the whole time._

…

…

_Or at least I tried to. _

_But that doesn't matter anymore. Not right now, not at this moment. _

_What matters is that little Dana Harrington girl. I must do something about her. She seems to be, like I said earlier, a version of Antoinette because of the fact that they both agree on the whole Derrick-Massie relationship, when I, on the other hand, disagree with it. It's absolutely wrong. _

_It's more wrong than global warming, and global warming is extremely wrong. _

_Or at least that's what Massie said. _

_Dana… What can I do with her? Well, I shouldn't confirm anything now. Maybe I can mentally scar her. Touch her in places that a girl shouldn't be touched. Seduce her to being mine. I could enjoy a 14-year-old. With a body like that, she's probably likely to be the best one night stand I get. Even better than that stripper that I toyed with. _

_Excuse me? _

_Are you asking me how I do all of these things? How I seem to be finding all these women? And knowing all this information? _

_Good question. _

_You see, I've dropped out of school. Forged my parents' signature saying I was transferring to another school. Lied and said a whole bunch of things, making excuses about them going to meetings and not being able to meet with the stupid principal. _

_Scatterbrained principal believed it, of course. Why wouldn't she? She believes everything. _

_And how I'm able to watch everyone, see what they're doing? Easy. I still have a few people that I'm "friends" with back at school. They watch Derrick, Massie—the whole lot. Always, a 24/7 thing. _

_As for everyone else, the people I call background characters—Dana, Antoinette, Connor, et cetera, et cetera—I have my eye on them. It's because I wanna make sure what their lives are like, so that they're death plans are well-strategized. _

_No one suspects that I'm watching them, of course. They're so dumb. Fools, the whole of them._

_What? Is Massie perfect? Well, in my eyes, she is. I find her incredibly perfect, from her hair to her personality. But she doesn't think she's perfect. She thinks that she's the epitome of the opposite of perfection. But I must disagree. _

_And one day, Massie will be mine again. She really will be mine. And every day I'll make love to her like she's never been made love to before. _

_But before that day ever arrives, I'll have to settle on these shallow, low self-esteemed bitches with no lives. One of them is coming over; apparently, she thinks that she's my favorite. Heck, I don't even know her name. _

_The only thing I like about her is that she lets me call her Massie, so in bed, when she's screaming and we're just about there, I can moan her name, Massie… Massie… Massie. _

_And for a split second, it's almost like I'm fucking Massie. The only thing is that when we finish and I look at her, I find ugly black eyes. Blacker, dark charcoal black eyes. _

_Ugly. _

_Till the next bitch, _

_Massie's Favorite Lover

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_

**AN: Chris Plovert is extremely twisted, don't you think? **

**But the funny part of all of this is that it's so easy for me to write. Call me demented, but it is. I'm not saying that it's fun, because that's just weird. :P But yes, easy for me to write(: So, yeah, fast chapter, yeah? I bet some of you were surprised that you saw this, eh? Well, I'd like to thank everyone who reviews this story. :D You guys are my red lifesavers(: **

**Send me a PM to chat? Review and tell me who you hate *cough**_** Chris Plovert **_***cough? Subscribe or favorite me with a blaring alarm? **

**Loves you all dearly, **

**ErickaLoops(: (And yes, you **_**can**_** call me that) **


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Disclaimed because I can't do the running man and because this isn't owned by me, Madonna or Disney. :P Thanks to all of you who reviewed(: You guys are splendid, and this one is for all of you:D Is listening to endless Stella by All Time Low(: and is getting comfortable on Desiree's chairXD  


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Monday went by slowly with Claire annoying Massie in all her classes. She loved Claire, she really did, but texting in classes to Derrick, who was _right next to her_? It irked her to the point where Massie had to hiss-scold her. And it wasn't easy for her since she was way beyond angry and trying to keep her voice down wasn't an option.

"Claire," she hissed during second period, "can you please _stop _texting Derrick? You're in the freaking Honor Society. You're supposed to be a good freaking girl and do your freaking work that our freaking teacher gave us. Don't you freaking get that?" Her eyes were wide and she was fuming.

Claire's eyebrow cocked and she rolled her eyes. "Massie, hold your _freak-ing _horses. I'll just text Derry that you don't want me to talk to him anymore." She smirked and went back to texting.

Massie kept her glare on Claire. Ever since their supposed kiss on Saturday, Claire and Derrick have been inseparable. But Massie had to admit that they were cute together.

She focused back on the newest book that Mr. Sawyer had assigned for them to read. Just when she was about to read the paragraph, Claire _pss_ed. Massie ignored it at first, but then it grew louder.

"Uh, Miss Lyons, Miss Block?" Mr. Sawyer said. "Is there a problem?"

The whole class shifted in their seat, wanting to see what the ruckus was about.

Massie looked up from her book. She hadn't wanted to get Claire in trouble, but she was very annoyed. "Can I please switch seats? I feel uncomfortable here." She fake-shifted in her seat.

Mr. Sawyer eyed her for a moment, but since she was one of his best students, he agreed. "Uh, Carl," he boomed, eyeing a pudgy boy with glasses and curly hair. "Switch seats with Massie, please."

Carl uncertainly seized his bag and stood up, dropping his books on the floor. He kneeled and picked them up, but when Massie saw another hand that shot down to pick up the other books, Massie's eyes widened. "Mr. Sawyer, can I _not _sit there? I sat there already."

"Massie," Mr. Sawyer sternly said, "this isn't on what you want. Choose to sit next to Claire or next to Derrick."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Mr. Sawyer, this is something that I need to think about for a while. Can you please just move me somewhere else?"

"Miss Block, don't think that just because you're one of my top students you can control what you want to do. Now you will either take your original seat, take a seat next to Derrick or I can give you a detention."

Massie didn't know what overcame her. It was something new to her, her blood rushing through her veins and the pumping loudness of it thrilled her. That was a new high for her. "Then I suppose I'll take that detention," she icily said.

"Massie," Claire murmured.

She looked down at the blonde and said, "No, Claire. I'm done. I'm done here, and I'm done with you and Derrick and I'm done with Chris. I've always been done. I just needed to confirm that."

"Massie," Derrick said this time. "Sit down."

"Yes, Massie," Mr. Sawyer challenged, "I dare you to."

Massie rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered, taking her book and stuffing it into her bag. "I'm gone. Give me a detention, a suspension, whatever, I'm done for the day." She quickly stomped her way to the door, acknowledging the fact that everyone's eyes were on her.

Mr. Sawyer, Claire and Derrick's seats screeched back. "Massie!" Claire exclaimed.

"Massie, come on," rang Derrick's voice.

"Massie, you take one step out of this room and that will serve as another detention," Mr. Sawyer threatened.

"Great." She cockily wheeled around and faced Mr. Sawyer. "That'll look great on my college application." She smirked and turned back around, opened the door, and in a sing-song voice said, "Bye."

Derrick and Claire offered each other looks—Claire's was terrified and Derrick's was surprised.

Mr. Sawyer was still standing, leaning on his hands which were planted on his desk. "Take a seat you two." He wearily looked from Derrick to Claire and back again, and then to the door. He shook his head and rubbed his temples, taking a seat himself.

Derrick closed his eyes and felt his phone vibrate. He looked at it.

**Claire: M has never done THAT b4. X_X**

Derrick sighed and began to text back.

**Derrick: :O (& that's not sarcastic)**

**Claire: IDGI. R U surprised that she did it?**

**Derrick: No, more like surprised that she's NEVER done that. **

**Claire: Y?**

**Derrick: Bcuz she seems like the type of person to just walk out. :P**

**Claire: Then u don't know her that well. **

**Derrick: Oh, I think I know her better than most. **

**Claire: What's her favorite band?**

**Derrick: …**

**Claire: Exactly. XD**

**Derrick: Claire, shut up. **

**Derrick: You don't need 2 know those sorts of things 2 really know a person.**

**Derrick: As long as you know what they're really like. **

**Derrick: How they r and such. XP**

**Claire: Oh, Derrick. **

**Claire: Let's go, the bell's ringing for lunch. **

Claire slid her phone into her pocket and waited for Derrick to finish packing up. He smiled at her, grabbed her hand and they sauntered out the door, hand-in-hand. "Okay, so I was thinking about that kiss yesterday…" Derrick suggestively commented, glancing at Claire.

She looked up, blushing. "Oh? Which one? The first, the second or the third?" she coyly replied, feeling all the more chipper with Derrick wrapped around her finger. The song Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne replayed in her head. She didn't even like Avril Lavigne.

Derrick laughed. "Yeah, I liked the first one, but the second one got better and then the third was definitely the nicest."

Claire rolled her eyes and slapped Derrick's chest. "You're bad."

"And you're cute," he teased, kissing her forehead.

The two, along with seven hundred other random kids, walked along to the cafeteria. Derrick pushed open the big wooden door into the cafeteria where he inhaled the fried food smelling air. They walked over to their table and sat down.

Kristen was already there, along with Cam. She didn't look up from her Gossip Girl book.

"Kristen, you're a sophomore and you're _still _reading that?" Claire teased, receiving a chuckle from Derrick.

She looked up, fire emblazoned in her eyes. "For your information, Kuh-loser, I've read this already. And if you must know, I worship Blair." She stuck her tongue out and went back to reading the paragraph she left off on.

Claire rolled her eyes and looked up at the perfectness of Derrick's chiseled face. He looked down at her and kissed her swiftly before hearing the gagging sound of Josh.

He sat down next to Kristen and she smiled at him, eyeing his tray of a sloppy cheeseburger and French fries. She raised an eyebrow and grabbed a couple of the fries, tossing them into her mouth like it was no big deal. "Hey!" Josh said. "Those are mine!"

Kristen chewed and giggled at the same time. "Yeah, well, they're in my mouth now, in case you haven't noticed."

Josh scoffed. "How can I not notice? You're chomping on 'em like a llama."

"Which you still need to show me, Joshy." She winked and went back to her book.

He half-smiled and nodded towards Derrick, who had a twinkle in his eye that asked, 'You two dating?'

He snorted and shook his head. "Hey, where's Massie?"

Cam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and was surprised to see Massie's name there.

**Massie: Hey Cam. I walked out of school & IDK what 2 do. **

Cam's eyes widened. Why did Massie text him? They were never close enough to text each other. And Massie, being perfect little Massie, walked out of her class. He looked up, listened to what Derrick and Claire said.

They nervously looked at each other and Claire stuttered, "Oh, she, um, she—she stayed back in class. To help with, uh, Mr. Sawyer." She nodded and went back to whispering to Derrick.

Cam cocked an eyebrow, but knew better than to push it. He texted Massie back.

**Cam: Ok… Well, Claire and Derrick lied & said u stayed back w/ Sawyer. **

**Massie: Well, I didn't. I want 2 come back, but I can't. **

**Cam: Y not? What did U do?**

**Massie: Even IDK what I did… But I hate it. I've never talked back 2 a teacher b4. **

**Cam: What started it? **

**Massie: IDK Cam! U know what, never mind. I can't believe I texted u in the 1st place. **

Cam raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He glanced back up and noticed Claire and Derrick who were drowned in each other's hair. He rolled his eyes and felt his phone vibrate. He, along with Kristen, Josh, Derrick and Claire, pulled out their phones.

**Massie: I didn't mean for it to happen. :'(**

Cam's eyes widened and he slowly straightened his head to lock eyes with everyone else. "Who texted you guys?"

"Massie," Josh murmured.

"She didn't mean for what to happen?" Kristen questioned, staring at her phone, and then looking back up at Claire and Derrick. "What happened to her?"

Claire and Derrick shared a nervous eye-lock. "Oh, we don't know."

"Maybe you do know," Cam muttered.

Everyone shot him looks. "What do you mean, Cam?" Derrick asked.

He and Derrick unwaveringly glared at each other. This was not the Derrick that Cam knew. Derrick wouldn't lie about anything. Derrick hadn't lied about anything. But Cam, to his defeat, was proved wrong.

"Nothing. Nothing, Derrick. Nothing at all." Without breaking the stare, he stood up and grabbed his bag. Finally, he turned around and stormed away.

Derrick gulped dry air. Cam was his best friend, but nowadays, it didn't even feel like it. It was like they were only acquaintances. Derrick didn't only want to be Cam's acquaintance. He stood up, Claire staring up at him. "Where are you going?" she squeaked, knowing where he was headed to.

He kept his focus on the back of Cam's jet-black-haired head. He caught up with him outside, under one of the trees that surrounded the school. "Cam!" he called.

He continued to stomp away until he was far from everyone else. He wheeled around and stared at Derrick. As he neared, he listened to what Cam was shouting.

"Are you and Claire official?"

That question was what made him stop. Are_ Claire and I official? _he thought. They had kissed, and they'd been texting and calling each other relentlessly. But never had Claire claimed them official. But why was Derrick leaving Claire to dub them official? And why did it seem as if Derrick was being walked all over? All he wanted was for Claire to be happy, but she seemed to be getting a little too bossy. She was still sweet as hell, but so far, Derrick felt as if she was leading him to something that _she _wanted; all _she _needed.

_Gah, it must be nothing, _he thought. He's always overanalyzed everything, and he thought that he was doing the similar thing here.

"What?" he asked, nearing Cam slowly.

"You heard me," he said, "are you or are you not officially together?"

Derrick raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to know? You're not planning on becoming a marriage counselor anytime soon, are you?"

"So that means that you _are _official then? If you're _already_ thinking about marriage?"

"Cam, what's up with you?" he asked, irritated by Cam's questions.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with me! But you? Yeah, I think there's something wrong with you."

"Cam, what—"

"You lied," Cam hissed.

A dark blonde eyebrow cocked. "What are you talking about, Cam?" he asked.

"You lied; you and Claire. You said that Massie stayed back in class—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Derrick stepped closer to Cam. "_I _said nothing. It was all Claire."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell the truth, otherwise!"

"Well, why should you care about Massie? And how do you know that she walked out?"

"She texted me."

Derrick's heart clenched. _Massie texted Cam? CAM? Why not me? _"What did she say?"

"Stuff. Things you don't need to know." He stood there, his build planted firmly on the ground. For a second, Derrick felt as if he was standing under the Eiffel Tower, or Big Ben. Cam had never loomed over anyone, especially Derrick, like this before.

There was something definitely going on with their friendship.

"Cam…" Derrick sighed.

"Derrick!" A thick-set girl squealed.

He looked towards her. Bethany was her name; Derrick had remembered her from the hallway, when she tried to catch up with him. "Bethany," he wearily said.

Her face lit up as she jiggled her way towards Derrick. Cam sighed and turned away.

"Hi, Derrick," she giggled, her pudgy cheeks shaking. "How are you today? I tried to talk to you earlier today in the hall, but you were heading off to class and didn't want to bother you."

"Um, Bethany," Derrick stammered, staring into her brown eyes, "Yeah, uh, I have something to do right now, and that is to talk to a friend of mine—"

"Are we friends?" she asked.

Derrick sighed. "Only if you promise to leave me alone," he joked. He hadn't really meant it, but Bethany's eyes flared with happiness and she was off, giggling with some of her other thicker friends.

"Cam…"

"Derrick, look, I'm sorry for what I said and all. I didn't mean it at all. It's just that… Well, Massie texted _me _instead of Claire or Kristen. I feel somewhat honored that she did. I don't know, but I'd love to be a good friend to Massie, and just to let you know, I know you love her. More than you do Claire. And I'm just watching out for you, if you do other things, you know? If you suddenly break up with Claire and go for Kristen or something. I don't know, okay? All I'm saying is watch yourself."

Derrick listened to what Cam had to say, and he found what Cam said true and real. And Derrick. He knew that he had to follow his intuition and break up with Claire, if they were in the phase that you _could _break up with your partner.

He sighed and asked, "All is forgiven, though, right?"

Cam nodded. "Just remember what I said. Chase after Massie and tell her how you feel. You may never get the chance again." He half-smiled and adjusted his bag on his back, walking away from Derrick again.

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**AN: Whew. Thank goodness that these chapters are getting done with, right? So, how're you all enjoying it? **

**And thanks to all of you who subscribe and review, especially you reviewers. You keep me writing, and I love you all so much(: **

**Oh, and if you have the time, visit me and Desiree's collaboration called **_**Up and Down the Boulevard**_**(: And check out my profile for the link to my LiveJournal account; there may just be updates on this story on the link(: **

**Anyway, can you do what you've all been doing best and review? **

**With orange grapes, **

**Erickana(: (Eric-awn-ah –wink-) **


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Dis-kluh-may-shun. ;) Thanks for all of your reviews, guys, they made my day:D

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"Fuck," Massie cursed, plopping facedown onto her duvet. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she repeated.

After running out of the school building, she began to cry. She had no idea what she had just done. She talked back to Mr. Sawyer, one of her favorite teachers. And worst of it all, she didn't know _why _she burst out like that. Who was she becoming?

She roughly ran her hands down her face, removing all evidence of tears being there. She still felt the snot just waiting to explode and curse her face with its stickiness. She sighed and ran her fingers back and forth under her nose, rubbing it hard.

She ran a hand through her hair and laid back, trying not to cry again. She stared up at the ceiling, not knowing what to do.

She had texted Cam earlier, when she was in her car, but it hadn't gone too well. She didn't even know why she did that. Cam really did seem like the only person that could really help her, anyway. She couldn't just text Kristen, Derrick or Claire, and she wasn't close to Josh, so why not text Cam? Mistake for her.

She suddenly felt a heavy aura of tiredness conquer her and she closed her eyes, not wanting to hear about anything else or seeing anyone else. The next time she opened her eyes, Claire and Kristen were on her bed. She quickly shut her eyes again.

"We saw that, Mass," Claire murmured, running a hand over my forehead.

"Come on, Massie, why did you do that at school today?" Kristen asked.

She rolled over in bed and pulled her pillow onto her face. Muffled, she asked, "How'd you guys get in?"

"Massie, that doesn't matter—okay, yeah, it does because your door wasn't locked—but still. You walked out on Mr. Sawyer and that's just not you." Claire tugged on the pillow and Massie let go of it. "You shouldn't have done that."

Massie glared at Claire and she sat up, her hair messy. "Are you seriously saying that I have no right to walk out on class? I was getting pissed, okay? You know my temper. I can't handle it. One little thing and it flares. I can't control whatever I say, whatever I do. The walking out on class thing isn't something I'm proud of. And you can have yourself to blame for that."

Kristen's eyes widened and she placed her hand on Massie's shoulder. "Hey, wait, hold up. Massie, you can't just do something and throw around accusations."

Massie shook off Kristen's hand and she shot her a gnarly look. "You don't get it, Kris, and neither do you, Claire. Look, I'm sorry if I'm being bitchy right now, but you can't just come in here and give me some sort of a pep talk and expect everything to be okay. You don't understand what I'm going through. Everything seems like it's going wrong. Chris and I broke up and I'm still not over him. Yeah, you heard it, I still miss him and I still think about him. I just realized that Connor doesn't have that much fun. And you, Claire, are going out with Derrick. You were the last person I thought would do that!" Massie ran hand through her loose curls and threw her comforter off her. "You seriously don't know how much that annoys me!"

Claire, with a frustrated expression on her face, stood up and stared down at Massie. "Well if it annoys you so much, don't let it get to you!" she exclaimed, feeling her anger boiling under her skin.

"Hey, guys, come on," Kristen muttered, not wanting for anything to happen.

"Claire, how can I freaking _not _let it get to me? In every freaking class I'm in, you're there texting your sweet boyfriend. And when I'm not there, it's Derrick that's with me. You think it doesn't annoy the crap outta me? Do you want me to be all lovey-dovey with Connor and being _verbal _about it?" Massie threw her legs over the edge of her bed and stood up, wanting to talk back to Claire's nutty words.

"Like I haven't experienced it before? With Connor _and _Chris! And you know what, that time of your life annoyed me, too. But I never said anything about it because I just wanted you to be happy. But I can't let you be happy because you're so freaking perfect and it's so freaking irritating!" Claire screeched, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Claire, Massie, seriously, come on," Kristen said in the background, nearing them.

"Me?" Massie yelled. This was getting over the top already. She wasn't going to take bull from little Miss Cherry Pie. "I am far from perfect! You don't see how freaking un-perfect I am! You're the one who gets straight As without trying and everyone likes you because you're so freaking nice."

Claire snorted. "Massie, don't you see that every guy at school pines away for you? And that they wished they were Connor or Chris or even Derrick who you became friends with?"

"Yeah, but that was a mistake. I hate Derrick so much that I could kill him and I'd be proud of it. And I always thought that you'd be the one who understood that! But no, you just couldn't keep your hands off him."

"Why does it bother you so much, Massie, you don't even like him!"

"That's the point, Kuh-laire! I don't. _Fucking_. Like him. But I like you—you're my best friend, for crying out loud! And when you go behind me and—"

"Why is it so hard for you to accept the fact that me and Derrick are a couple?" Claire asked.

The anger on Massie's face swiped away and it was replaced with confusion. "You're an official couple? You and Derrick are officially together?"

Claire nodded. "And you're going to have to accept that Massie, whether you like it or not. Derrick is my boyfriend and we're very happy together."

Massie watched as a disgusting, smug smile crept onto Claire's face. She shook her head. "So that's what it is, huh? You going behind my back and getting together with the one guy I hate? Really? You couldn't at least have gone out with anyone else?"

"Why do you hate Derrick, Massie? He said he was sorry, didn't he?"

"No, he didn't Claire. He never did. It's why hate him. He could've apologized, but did he? No. And now he's taking my best friend away from me and I hate that."

"Well maybe he is sorry—"

"Sorry or not, he ruined my childhood. I'm practically scarred for life!"

"Stop being such a drama queen, Massie. Why can't you just be happy for me? I was happy for you when you went out with Connor and Chris. So why can't you do the same?" Claire murmured the last sentence to herself.

Out of nowhere, Kristen sniffled and hugged Massie and Claire. "Why can't you both just shut up and be happy for each other?" she asked, stretching her arms out and staring at both of them. "We're best friends. We're not supposed to let other people get in the way of that."

Massie stared at Kristen and her eyes watered. She glanced at Claire who was already looking her way and she said, "I'm sorry," before the tears fell over.

"I know, I am, too." Claire hugged her back and stroked her hair. "I was such a bitch and you're right. I should never have gone behind your back. But I really like him, Mass, and I think he really likes me."

For the last five days, the thought of a 'Claire and Derrick' pinched at her already broken heart. It was enough that Derrick had never really noticed much of Kristen except when Massie was around, but dating Claire, her best friend, took enough energy from her to change her. She had always loved Derrick, even when he was away at Minnesota. She didn't let those feelings get in the way, though. It was only when she wasn't with Massie and Claire was she slow and not alert. And now learning that Claire and Derrick were together, she didn't know how much more she could handle. And seeing Massie and Claire butt heads, she didn't know what was happening. Maybe Massie was right. Derrick should just leave and go back to Minnesota.

"Kristen, you okay?" Massie asked, standing by the door.

She snapped back to reality. "What?" she said under her breath, not paying attention.

Claire shot her a confused look. "We were going down to Massie's kitchen. Her mom's downstairs and she's baking cookies."

"And there's rocky road ice cream in the fridge, your favorite," Massie said, already heading out with Claire behind her. "Come on, let's go, Kris. The party's not alive without your raucousness," Massie teased.

Kristen smiled to herself sadly. Maybe friends just weren't enough.

* * *

**AN: Okay, wow, already here, eh? Well, this story has a long way to go. It's not done yet. Now, I promise all of you that this will not end a Clairington. **

**Okay, well, thanks to everyone who reviews, faves, alerts:D You guys are seriously fabulous and I love you all very much:D And, hey, if you want me to review your stories, just ask:D **

**Peace out, in and all around!**

**Ericka/WhereItAllBegins**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Disclaimed. :)**

**Okay, so this chapter is the days counting down to the dance; now everyone, I must say here: remember all those Chris Plovert chapters? Yeah… **

**Dedicated to Mersaydez. :D**

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"So you guys are going together to the dance, right?" Massie asked Claire and Derrick. She had to admit, they did look pretty okay together. But ever since their sort-of fight a couple of days ago, things had become different. Kristen seemed more distant and so did Cam. Josh seemed like the only sane one, even if he and Antoinette weren't together and she was going stag to the dance which was coming in two days.

"Yep," Claire chirped, biting into her salad. "I already know what I'm gonna be—a stewardess." Claire waggled her eyebrows.

Massie laughed out loud. "Are you seriously going in a costume?" she asked incredulously.

Claire nodded as if it was obvious. "It _is _a Halloween dance after all."

Massie chuckled again, feeling Connor's laugh along with her. Out of nowhere, Massie's phone rang with All Time Low's Remembering Sunday. She shrugged from under Connor's arm and pulled out her phone. She didn't bother to check who was calling, but it was an unknown number. She put the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

No answer came. But a heavy breathing sounded from the other end. Massie raised an eyebrow. "Hello?" she asked again.

"Whoever you are, you better stop it. That's not funny. Hello?" While she was talking, the breathing came faster and heavier.

"Who was it?" Connor asked, staring down at Massie with concern.

She shook her head and slid her phone back into her pocket. "It was no one, just a prank I guess."

"Okay, well, now that _that's _over with," Claire said, "why shouldn't we wear costumes to the Halloween dance?"

Connor's eyes were still on Massie when she answered, "Because, Claire, this is high school. No one wears Halloween costumes anymore. All you have to do is look your best. Wear a short dress and look hot for the night, you know?" She winked playfully and punched Connor's stomach. "Now what about you?" she teasingly asked him.

He chuckled and leaned in, kissing her cheek and leaving his face there. "What do you mean?" he asked, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"Oh you know what I mean," Massie whispered into his ear.

"Derrick! Derrick! Derrick!" a girl squealed.

Connor adjusted his position and so did Massie. She met Derrick's flickering brown eyes before they broke away and he looked up at a fiery redheaded girl. "Hiiiiii," she squealed in her abnormally high-pitched voice. "Anyway, I was wondering whether you probably, oh, I don't know, wanted to, like, uh, go to, like, the Halloween dance with me? Like, together?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

Kristen smirked. "Like, maybe you should, like, check on your, like, grammar?" she teased, receiving hearty chuckles from all around the table.

Derrick rolled his eyes and said, "Well, I'd love to go with you—"

The redhead squealed loudly, grabbing the attention of those near enough to hear the conversation.

Derrick cleared his throat. "Right, anyway, like I was going to say, or what I meant to say, was that you're probably really cool and all, but you know, I'm already set on going with Claire."

Claire looked up innocently and smiled. "Hi there," she squeaked.

The redhead cocked an eyebrow and sniffed. "Oh. Well. Okay then. It's okay. I have a few guys who asked me anyway. They're probably not going to reject me, you know?" She turned on her heel, and with a defiant chin in the air, stormed off.

Cam ran a hand through his dark hair. "Jeez, what was that, the seventeenth time you've been asked out?"

Kristen absentmindedly said, "Actually, it was only the fourteenth. But you know, who's counting?" She stabbed her tuna sandwich with her spoon angrily while grumbling to herself.

"Uh, hey, you okay?" Massie asked, worried about Kristen. She had been acting strangely different in the past couple of days. Massie didn't want to think it was about Derrick, but deep down, she knew that it was. The way that she arrogantly would leave Claire out of the conversation but try and have Derrick say as much as he could; the way that she would roll her eyes at Claire when she looked at Derrick mischievously; the way that she would only talk to Massie and purposely avoided locking eyes with Claire.

But Claire, on the other hand, hadn't seemed to notice. It seemed to not have taken progress in her head that Kristen detested her for being with Derrick. Derrick smiled down at Claire, but not a full smile. In fact, Claire seemed to be the only one to enjoy the relationship. Massie couldn't help but feel satisfied at the thought of that.

She shook her head and continued to smile at her peers surrounding her, not helping the feeling of fake-ness in her smile.

**_WhereItAllBegins_**

Massie smiled at the girl passing by her. It had finally come; Friday, the Halloween dance. Massie squeezed herself in a black Gucci number; Kristen had come in a dark purple strapless BCBG dress that swayed above her knees. Claire had yet to show her beautiful, blue eyes. Connor's masculine arms were holding onto Massie's waist, and she was enjoying watching the many slutty girls in tight, short dresses dance themselves onto random people.

Massie thought that the National Honor Society had done a great job with the gym; to enter the gym, they had to go through a long, dark hallway called the Hall of Doom (with a comedic, "Wow, that's clever," from Kristen) with sticky spiders on floors and dirty hands reaching out. Kristen was holding onto Josh the entire time and the amused look on Josh's face said it all. Inside, the dance floor was packed with tons of students grinding up against each other. The DJ was up on stage, rocking the whole gym out with a Ke$ha song. The neon lights that illuminated the gym and casted glows on students' faces continued to fly around, bouncing off the walls. Black confetti continuously fell from the ceiling, landing in the students' hair, outfits and in the punch bowl (receiving a, "Whose stupid idea was this confetti thing anyway?" from Kristen).

Massie looked around, hoping that her amber orbs could detect blue ones. Finally, after seeing a couple or two sneak off into corners, Massie's eyes landed on a very sexy, devilish stewardess dragging along someone in a blazer and a white t-shirt with a black skeleton on it. Her eyes widened as she realized that it was Claire in a blue, not-even-reaching-her-midway-thigh dress with golden buttons on it, and her name on a nametag. Her white-blond hair was up in a bun and over it a dark blue hat. But she wasn't who Massie was studying.

She _was _studying the boy she was dragging behind; the one with the dirty-blond shaggy hair in his face and an outfit that greatly reminded her of Jess and Rory, when Rory saw Jess at his book show. In his white shirt, black blazer and earphones, he had to be the man of her dreams.

Until he looked up.

And smirked at Massie.

And glared at Connor.

And smiled at Claire.

And again scowled at Connor.

"Hey guys!" Claire chirped happily, the bun on her head sliding off slightly.

"Hey!" Kristen yelled over the pulsating Flo Rida song. "You look amazing!" she said, leaning into Claire.

She beamed back, her white teeth glowing against the neon lights. "You guys look great, too!" she shouted, tugging on Mr. Blazer's hand.

"Uh, Derrick," she shouted at him, "could you go get me a drink? It's really hot in here."

Derrick looked up from his iPod's screen and pulled out an earphone. "Huh?" he loudly replied.

Claire rolled her eyes and laughed. "Drink, Derrick, drink. I need to drink something."

Derrick nodded. "Oh. 'Kay then." He threw another smirk towards Massie and her dress and frowned at Connor when he piped up and said, "Ah, I'll go with you!"

Derrick shrugged and turned on his heel, disappearing into the crowd of sex-craved teenagers. Connor smiled at Massie before following after Derrick. Massie watched as he left, feeling a sense of relief. She turned to Claire and half-smiled.

"So," she shouted, "you and Derrick are official now, yeah?"

Claire smiled coyly and shrugged. Leaning in towards Massie and Kristen, she said, "I'm not really sure. He hasn't exactly said it yet." She again shrugged her shoulders, the mood in her eyes shifting. "But then again," she brightly chirped, "he said yes to the dance and we had a make-out session before coming here. So that must mean we are, right?"

Massie shared an _uh-oh_ look with Kristen, who then looked at Claire and nodded, unsure. "Yeah, totally," she lied. The moment Claire looked away, Kristen returned to Massie and mumbled, "If being totally ignored at the dance while wearing a hot outfit means you're together forever, then hell yeah, they'll get married and have fifteen kids." When she pulled away,

Massie chuckled uneasily.

Cam was eyeing Claire the whole time that she was there. Staring at her, wondering why on earth she hadn't noticed him. Cam's gray blazer hung low, almost drooping, as if it understood what Cam was feeling. Cam's heart was tearing in two pieces. _Kkkkkkkk, _it seemed to be growing louder and louder every time he looked at her. He sighed and walked away from Josh, who was talking to him about the new Johnny Depp movie that was coming out soon. He continued walking, not even noticing the large silhouette in the corner, watching the inside of the gym.

**_WhereItAllBegins_**

Massie continued milling around the gym, squeezing through bodies that were roughly up against her. She was searching for Connor, who had mysteriously disappeared. Derrick informed her that he _had _been, so in fact, behind him, but that the minute he turned away from him, he disappeared. Massie groaned to herself. Connor was not only her ride home, but was her boyfriend and she had hoped to get _one _dance with him.

Although looking for Connor made her think about Derrick, who was in the back, standing around Claire and every now and then randomly bursting out into a random dance move. She laughed at the one that looked as if he was praising the ceiling.

She sighed to herself when she realized that she had to stop doing that.

_Doing what? _she asked herself. _Thinking about him. _

_Him? _

_Him. Derrick. Your soulmate. You have a crush on him. _

_Soulmates are stupid. I don't believe in them. _

_And fate? Destiny? _

_You make your own destiny. _

_Of course you do, Massie. That's what you keep trying to think. You have to stop forcing yourself to do what you think is right and do what's really right. _

_Which is? _

_Steal Derrick from Claire. _

_Claire's my best friend. _

_Yes. And she'd understand you if you told her how you felt and if you talked to her about how you know what Derrick really feels. _

_What do you mean? _

_That you know that Derrick has a huge crush on you, too. _

By this time, Massie was outside and she was aimlessly walking around the school, hoping to find Connor kissing another girl, pushed up in a corner so that she had a reason to tear his heart out from his chest and stomp on it, just like Chris Plovert did. But she found something worst than that.

Connor was lying next to the trash bins, his arms were bent and his foot was twisted the wrong way. Blood was gushing from his nose and his forehead, and his eyes were bruised and purple.

Massie stood there like an idiot with her mouth open. She didn't know what to do; who to blame; what to say; where to go. After a few seconds of illiterate blubbering, her eyes welled up with tears and she ran back inside the gym, pushing past people, trying to get hold of someone. She was running, running, running.

"Hey," Derrick said, holding onto Massie. She was running so fast, her vision, blurry, that she didn't even notice him there. He stumbled a few steps back when she ran into him, but he caught her before she could fall. "Mass, what's wrong?" he asked, staring at her, concern and worry in his eyes.

"Connor—" she blubbered. She had no time, no sense to say what she saw, what she _thought _she saw. "Outside. Hospital. Broken." Words. Illegitimate words were flowing from her mouth and she still continued speaking, terror and anguish creeping into the words. "Connor. Dead."

At those words, Derrick acted fast. He, with Massie towed behind him, sprinted outside.

Claire looked after Derrick and the pale brunette behind him. _Massie_, she angrily thought. She stormed away from Kristen, who was laughing with Josh about something or other. She was angrily stomping around, hoping to see Derrick in a corner, talking to someone of the similar gender, and _not _running away with her so-called "best friend".

In mid-stomp, a girl with long, buttery-blond hair stopped in front of her. She was wearing tight leather and mouse ears on her head. She resembled Amanda Seyfried's costume from Mean Girls. Claire's eyes widened. It was Skye Hamilton, school alpha. "Hi," she purred. She sounded more like a poisonous cat than a cute mouse.

"Hi," Claire squeaked, her eyes still wide. Seeing Skye up close was different than seeing her from a distance. Claire had to admit, she was extremely gorgeous. Prettier than anyone Claire had ever seen.

Skye had a faint smirk on her face, her eyes glistening with joy. "Claire Lyons, right?" she asked.

At the sound of her name coming from such dominant lips, her breath hitched. "Oh, wow. Heh. Yeah, that's me, Lyons-comma-Claire." Her eyes widened at what she said. _Lyons-comma-Claire? Who am I, Miranda Cosgrove? Not even close! _

To Claire's surprise and utter joy, Skye giggled. Although Claire could hear the forced sound of it, that didn't matter. Claire Lyons had made the school alpha laugh. A smile slowly crept up her face and she found herself laughing along with Skye. It was a great feeling. It was better than getting your favorite flavor ice cream while your boyfriend draped his favorite hoodie over you.

Their giggles slowly faded, and Skye's faux-smile was still clear on her face. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, "Come and hang out with my girls. We won't hurt you."

Skye wheeled Claire along with her, all the while Claire was following, a stupid smile on her face and the fact that she was wanted still thumping in her heart.

* * *

**AN: Kuh-laire, joining the Pwetty Committee? Actually, yes. Yes, that's what just happened. Sorry to the Massington fans. Eventually, you will all be satisfied with the ending of this story. So, don't worry. (: **

**r&r? **

**ErickaxD **


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Disclaimed. For Hannah(: You know who you are, sweetie. Thanks(: **

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_Guess what tonight is? Friday, October 30. The night of the dance. The night that I finally will get revenge on Connor Daly. Isn't that great? I think that it's great. I have a plan set up and everything. I'm not sure how it will all go down, though. I'm hoping that everything turns out right. _

_Someone saw me yesterday. I forgot that the seniors at school were able to go out to eat for lunch. Hannah Poe saw me yesterday, eating at Skyliner. She asked me what was up, where I was these days. Tried to peek at my book of evil plans. _

**Hannah: **_Hey. _

**Me: **_Uh… Hi. _

**Hannah: **_Where are you these days? Everyone wants to know where you are. You know, Massie's dating Connor again. I personally think that that's slutty of her; you know, to go from guy to guy. _

**Me: **_She's not a slut. _

**Hannah: **_Still in love with her then? _

**Me: **_Huh? What? Why do you say that?_

**Hannah: **_Because you're defending her. _

**Me: **_And? _

**Hannah: **_Never mind. What are you working on?_

**Me: **_Nothing special. _

**Hannah: **_Chris Plovert, is that a diary? _

**Me: **_Hannah, back off or I'll stab you with my straw. _

**Hannah: **_Okay, okay, jeez. Sorry. I'll leave now. _

_She's the most irritating person in the world, and I hate her so much. Hannah should get hurt, too. I know… I'll beat her to the point of near-death, and I'll leave a straw, just for fun. If you're asking me whether this is a new high, then yes, it is a new high for me. I like it. The word: _

_**D E A T H**_

_It has a nice and clean ring to it. The thing is, it's not so clean. It's dirty, dirty work. And tonight, I'm going to start on it. With Connor, of course. He did steal my girl. They've already probably done the dirty deed. If only you could see me. I've outgrown my hair, and I've dyed it to a dark red. I now understand it when Claire says that Dylan's hair sometimes doesn't go with her complexion. There are dark circles under my eyes, and I've lost so much weight. I'm sure, though, that Massie will still take me back. She promised me that she always would care for me. _

_Anyway, like I said: Connor Daly is going down tonight. Hard. Harder than hard._ _How? Well, I've set up for someone, her name never to be mentioned, to lure Connor out. Who, you may ask? One of my countless one night stands. I forget their names. _

_But yes, Connor is going to die. Thanks to me, of course. _

_After that, I'm going to take down that Antoinette girl. She needs to die. She roots for Derrick Harrington. She likes him. She wants him to be with Massie because she can see that she's happy with him. _

_Not. True. _

_She's happier with me. _

_Because, well, I'm Chris Plovert and I can get anyone I want. That's how it is. That's how life goes. That's what's right. _

_And I want Massie Block._

* * *

**Review? **

**:D, **

**Little Caterpillar**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Disclaimed(: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys keep me going:) Disclaimed. **

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She lifted her head, feeling guiltier that she left tear stains on Connor's hospital sheets. She looked around the all-white room. She had no distinct memory from last night, from how she got to the hospital to how they got their own room. The only sound that filled the room was the deadly beeping of the machines that supported Connor. She sighed and stroked his hair. Last night, while sitting in the waiting room, anticipating Connor's results, she came to discern that she had no feelings for Connor and none for Chris, either. She was sure of that. She wasn't even sure if she had any feelings for Chris in the beginning. Maybe it was all a warm-up, something to keep her distracted before Derrick could come back into her life.

She smiled to herself. _Derrick_. She loved his name. _Derrick_. She could say it over and over again. _Derrick Harrington. Derrick Harrington. Derrick. Derrick and Massie. Massie and Derrick. _She smiled and her eyes were drawn to her hand; something was stuck to it-a yellow Post-It. She pulled it off and the rushed words:

_Sorry I left; I didn't want to. I just need to go and do a couple of things; I'll be back. Stay safe. And text me at 555-3462 if you get lonely. :) Derrick_

Massie felt the butterflies thrum against her stomach. She pulled her phone out from her pocket and thumbed the number into her contacts. Before putting her phone away, a thought struck her: her phone number was 555-6234 and Derrick's was 555-3462.

_62 made the initials MB while 34 made DH. _Her jaw dropped and her face reassembled itself into an idiotic grin. Massie grew up loving Disney princesses, and here she was, feeling as if she was one. She sighed contentedly and fell back into her chair. She looked over at Connor whose eyes were shut, one of them colored with a black eye. Inside, her stomach churned. How could she do this to Connor? Why would she? Only someone so heartless would break up with someone _right after_ they were nearly beaten to their death.

She sighed to herself. But if she stayed with Connor knowing that she liked Derrick, then...

_What if you don't really like Derrick, Massie? What if you just like him because he saved Connor? So you might not really like Connor or Chris, but how do you really know you like Derrick? Because your phone numbers are almost the same? _

_What? I don't know. And I'm sure that I like Derrick because I missed him. I missed it when he would pull on my hair. And fine, I admit that maybe I'm going just a little too fast with everything. But to me, it makes sense. I mean, I like Derrick; how he treats everyone and how he's so friendly, his hair and his goofy smile and his obnoxious laughter. I like it all. _

_Yeah, but what if it's just lust? What if you just want to kiss Derrick, see how it's like? _

_No. No. No. Wait a minute, weren't you the one who wanted me to end up with Derrick in the first place? _

_No, I'm not. I'm just here to make sense out of everything. Concsience, Massie, I'm your conscience, I'm not God. I'm just trying to make sense of everything here. I mean, Derrick after Connor? Feel bad for the kid. He seems to really like you. _

_But I _really _like Derrick!_

_Are you sure?_

_100%_

_Really?_

_Yes. _

_Okay. He's coming right now. _

"Massie, you're awake?" came his deep voice, the voice Massie came to adore. She turned around and saw him standing, having changed into a gray long-sleeved shirt and jeans. She nodded, staring at him in awe. He came forward and dragged a seat from the corner, the chair not making a sound. He sat next to her and watched her every response. "So," he continued, "how long have you been awake?"

Massie shrugged. "Just a couple of minutes." _Long enough to conclude that I think you're amazing. Date me, freak, just freaking date me already! _

Derrick nodded, his eyes catching a glimpse of Connor. His nose scrunched up-Massie swooned internally-and he looked at her. Even if her mascara was running and her hair was shiny from the ack of showering, she still looked radiant. He half-smiled and scratched his neck. "Are you hungry?" he asked, his eyes staring at the tray of untouched hospital food. He nodded at it and made a face. "Not so good, right? Let's go out to eat."

Massie's eyes brightened, but she instantly slumped when she remembered Connor. She shook her head and mumbled, "Can't."

Derrick's face turned into indifference. "But you want to...?"

Massie nodded. "Badly. I'm famished and I'd do anything for hashed browns from McDonald's." She turned red and looked up at him. "But I can do with a salad." _Gah, liar, liar, you're such a big, fat liar. You _hate _salads. You hate, hate, hate salads. _

Derrick chuckled and nodded skeptically. "Uh-huh. Then I'll go over to McDonald's and get myself some hashed browns and then go to a nearby mini mart to get you some lettuce and tomatoes, okay?" He stood up and turned to leave before Massie grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

"_Or_," she stretched, holding onto him, "you can get both of us hashed browns and even French fries and maybe a Starbucks latte?" She smiled and added, "Ooh, ooh, and something with chocolate and whipped cream, yes, I need that."

Derrick chuckled and gently grabbed her wrist before letting it go. "Fine, fine, Miss I-like-salads. Jeez, first you lie to me and next you want me to buy you all this crap? When you get fat, do not come running to me." He chuckled and shook his head. "I'll be back; text me."

Massie chuckled and called, "Stalk you." She was delighted to hear his booming laughter from the hallway echo into the room. She smiled and settled into the chair, leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Mass?" a raspy voice croaked.

Her eyelids shot open and her back erected. She leaned forward and grabbed Connor's hand. "Connor? Sweetie, are you okay?"

A grumble erupted from him, and then a forced, "Go after him."

**_whereitallbegins_**

Massie ran a hand through her damp hair as she watched Derrick feed Bean a dog treat. After being at the hospital for almost twenty-four hours, counting the time they arrived last night, the doctor suggested they go home and leave Connor into the hosital's hands. Massie invited Derrick over, sure that her parents weren't home. Proving herself wrong, her parents were home, sitting on the living room couch, watching _Finding Nemo_.

Derrick chuckled and threw Bean another bone-shaped dog treat. Bean yelped and jumped into the air, catching it in her mouth. She began gnawing at it, running around in circles just to do so. "I've always wanted a dog," he said.

Massie nodded. "Take Bean. She's a crazy dog. You can be sure that you'll never be late to school with her around." They shared a laugh and Massie again felt the butterflies in her stomach. After Connor had explained what he meant, how he knew that Massie had a thing for Derrick and Derrick likewise, he had told her that she needed that. That he would never be able to give her that. And when Massie asked what Connor could never give her, Derrick came back into the hospital room. She never did find out what it was.

"So," Massie started, picking at her shoelaces, "are you still with Claire?"

Derrick looked up at her and then back to Bean. He shrugged to himself. "I'm not sure. I don't think I was ever really _with _her to begin with. I mean, I didn't think we'd last anyway. She was too... clean." He smirked and looked up at her. "I like them to be just right, you know?" His eyes twinkled with the shine of mischief, something Massie turned red at.

She again went back to picking at her Converse shoelaces. "Yeah, yeah, I get what you mean."

Derrick nodded and looked around. He sat back and rested there, Bean sniffing around him. "Whatever did happen to you and Chris? Claire told me that you guys broke up because of him?"

Massie looked at him with an eyebrow arched. "Weren't you there when I explained it? You were flirting with me and everything." She smirked and pull out a weed of grass.

Derrick nodded in remembrance. "Yeah. And I'm a hot jerk. And you smell really nice." He cleared his throat awkwardly and scratched his chin. "But anyway, that Chris guy... He's stupid for letting you go. He was lucky enough to have you." He shook his head in disgust and ran a hand through his hair.

Massie shrugged lazily and kept her chin in her palm. "Yeah, well, I think it was for the better anyway. I don't think we would've lasted, either."

Derrick looked at her, "Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean, he was great and all, but he just never had the time for me, y'know? Like, he'd rather make me watch him play soccer. And I guess it was nice and all... But still. I wanted to be with him, not be there for him." She mad a face and restarted. "I mean-"

"I get what you mean," Derrick interrupted. "Same thing with this girl that I dated back in Minnesota. She just wanted me to watch her perform. She danced ballet. And truthfully, I have no taste for ballerinas." He laughed under his breath and randomly pulled out pieces of grass. He cleared his throat and looked up at her. "I missed you, you know that?"

Massie didn't know why she did it. But she went over to him and dramatically clung onto his neck, sobbing into his chest. Derrick, being Derrick, held onto her, rocking her back and forth and trying to calm her down.

"-And everything's just not going the way I wanted it to! I mean, Chris was an amazing boyfriend, but he just isn't what I'm looking for! And that's another thing; I expect so much out of life. It's so unfair because as a kid, I always got my way, it was always what I wanted that mattered. And now I have to work for pretty much everything and I just hate... I just hate life in general; I hate how everyone treats me and I hate how I don't even know why the hell I'm talking about this. I don't even know where to start! Everyone thinks that I'm fine, but no one knows what's overwhelming me. I'm tired of it all. I'm tired of having people walk all over me and over Claire. I just wish that Chris never did what he did and that you never came back and that Claire and you never dated because she shouldn't have you. She's not supposed to. And I just wish that everyone would stop being so... there. I just need my own space. I need to ddeal with myself for a couple of seconds. Give me time to breathe and whatever."

Derrick rubbed her back soothingly, knowing exactly how she felt. He grew tired of the same things, and personally, it was hard to get over them. He hugged her tighter and whispered into her hair, "I'm sorry you feel that way. But you'll get over it. You'll get over it all Massie because I believe in you. And that may sound cliche, but it's cliche for a reason. I'm not bullshitting you, 'kay? I care about you Massie, I always have."

"_What the hell is this_?" a high-pitched shriek came.

Derrick looked up and Massie instantly stopped crying. She dried her face with her hands and shuffled away from Derrick.

Claire stepped out from the darkness that engulfed her. Her face was streaked with tears flushed. She shooked her head, her sleek straight hair whirling around her. She stomped up to Derrick who had enough time to scramble up. He walked up to Claire who was violently tremoring, something that occured to her when she was out-of-the-field angry. "_Massie and Derrick_?" she screeched. Her fists were balled up and she pointed a long, slender finger towards Massie.

"I never want to see you again!" she yelled.

Bean whimpered and nuzzled her nose into the small of Massie's back. Massie took Bean into her lap and pushed herself back, afraid of Claire. She looked different, meaner. She looked like a witch. "Claire," she murmured.

"_No_!" Claire yelled again, throwing her arm in the air. "I hate you, Massie Block. I never, ever, never, ever want to be your friend because you're a backstabbing bitch who steals girl's boyfriends. You're a bitch, Massie, you're a fucking bitch."

Derrick grabbed Claire's flailing arms and brought them down to her sides. "Shut. Up. Claire," he rumbled angrily. He shook his head and tightened his grip around Claire's wrist. "Massie did nothing to deserve what you're saying. She's not a bitch. And we were never really together in the first place anyway!"

Claire's face transformed from anger to hurt. Her eyes welled up with tears and she broke away from Derrick's grasp. "Fine," she spat, her voice lowering, "you can have each other. You two deserve each other anyway." She shook her head and ran away in defeat.

"Claire, wait!" Massie called, scrambling to get up. Derrick caught her before she could leave and held onto her.

"Mass, no," he mumbled.

She shook her head, tears flying, spotting Derrick's shirt, hitting him with so much power that even he had to tear up a bit. "But she's my best friend, Derrick! I can't leave her! I need her! Claire, wait!" she yelled again, thrusting herself against Derrick, attempting to push him down. Derrick, of course, being the stronger of the two, held onto her even tighter. After several futile attempts of trying to get away from Derrick, she fell into him and sobbed heavily again.

A light from the house broke through the darkness that surrounded Massie and Derrick. It started as a slim light of yellow and then slowly began to brighten the whole backyard. "Derrick, Massie, is everything alright out there?" Mr. Block called.

"Uh, yeah," Derrick called out, hating himself even more for lying. "Uh, Mr. Block, we're just telling each other how much we missed each other."

Mr. Block's chuckle echoed to Derrick's ear. He closed the door and Derrick hugged Massie tighter to his body, settling himself down onto the ground.

_Maybe she's right, _he thought to himself ruefully, _Maybe it'd be best if I had never come back at all. _

* * *

**AN: And BAM!**

**Review?**

**ericka:)**


	24. Chapter 24

**an: disclaimed. thanks again(:**

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Massie dreaded the days following the dance. She stayed with Connor at the hospital, aiding him with eating and other daily essentials. She spent her time sobbing on Derrick, and he spent his time comforting her. It pained him to see her like that; to see her have to carry all that baggage around. He was afraid that one day she wouldn't be able to take it and she'd do something drastic. Again, he spent his Monday at her house, having slept in the guest bedroom that Mrs. Block provided. He stepped into her room quietly and snuck his way to her bed.

She was a lump there, just laying there like a burrito. He sighed and climbed in next to her. He began stroking her hair and singing quietly.

"_I'm standing on a bridge, I'm waiting in the dark, I thought that you'd be here by now. There's nothing but the rain, no footsteps in the ground, I'm listening, but there's no sound. Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home? It's a damn, cold night, tryin' to figure out this life. Won't you take me by the hand? Take me somewhere new, I don't know who you are, but I, I'm with you."_

Massie stirred in her sleep and she turned to him. Her eyelids lifted slowly and she croaked, "Derrick?"

He nodded and ran his hand through her hair. "I'm here," he softly whispered.

She had grown accustomed to hearing his voice, feeling his hands, smelling his scent. She wanted it all from him, and she got it all. There was only something that was missing; she hadn't any contact with Claire since their fight. She continuosly texted Kristen who kept her up-to-date with school life and other things. Josh and Cam came to visit every now and then, consistently bringing her chocolates and flowers and chicken noodle soup. A sharp, stabbing pain pursued her chest. She groaned under her breath, careful not to let Derrick hear her pain. Unfortunately, his ears could hear from miles away.

He stroked her hair and mumbled comforting words into her hearing range. "It's going to be okay, Mass, I know it'll be. I promise, I won't let this end horribly for you. I'm going to be there. Trust me."

Massie's breath came out ragged and sharp. "Derrick," she mumbled.

"Mm?"

"Go to school," she whispered. Even the mere thought of him going to a place where girls constantly flirted with him filled her with pain.

Derrick shook his head. "Massie, no. I can't do that. I'll be lonely," he teased.

Massie grinned and buried her face into his chest. She inhaled deeply, savoring it. If he left, he was going to be gone for eight, maybe nine hours. She'd need to remember his scent. "You need to go to school," she mumbled into his chest.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, I don't need to."

Massie nodded. "You _need _to, Derrick, you haven't been to school in forever. It's been a week already."

Derrick shrugged carelessly. "The day I go to school, you're going, too."

Massie pushed him away and grimaced. "Go to school, Derrick, I don't want you to get in trouble with your dad."

"It's fine, as long as I don't keep doing this. But I'd do it all for you, Massie," he breathed.

Thankful for the darkness, she crimsoned. "And on that note, you'd go to school. Come back later with my homework, okay?" She patted his shoulder and turned to face the other side. She bunched up into a ball and hugged her knees to her chest. A moment of silence passed by and no signal that Derrick was leaving came. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds and the next time she opened them, it was ten in the morning and Derrick was nowhere to be found.

**_whereitallbegins _**

"But she's fine, right?" Kristen asked Derrick, watching him check his phone for the _nth _time that day. Crowds of people milled about in the cafeteria, their chatting frivolous and their loudness irking. Derrick rolled his eyes at a girl who shrieked about her hair getting frizzy. He looked up and nodded. "Yeah, she's fine," he assured her. He again checked his phone only to see that he had no text messages. "Where's Claire nowadays?"

Cam sighed sullenly and nodded towards the direction of the Pretty Committee. "She hangs with _them_ now. She's apparently too cool for us."

Kristen frowned and patted his shoulder. "You know, you shouldn't let her get to you. I mean, I love Claire, but if she doesn't see how amazing you are as a person, Cam, then she just doesn't deserve you. You should let her go and find someone else. Seriously." She pointed to a girl with dark hair and maroon-framed glasses, conversing with four other girls. "That's Nikki Dalton and rumor is she has a huge crush on you. Try and date her, she seems nice."

Josh nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "But dude, be smooth, 'kay? I hear that she's not allowed to have a boyfriend... So, I don't know how you're supposed to deal with that."

Cam shook his head and stood up. "Whatever guys. I'll see y'all later. I need to head to the library. And maybe I'll check up on Mass, too." He smirked and Derrick threw him a bagel.

"Shut up, dude," he said, receiving a chortle from Josh.

"Yeah, man, or maybe you could date Massie, yo! I mean, she's hot, but y'know, not my type," Josh chuckled.

Kristen rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. "Massie's my best friend, don't make fun of her!"

Josh gave her a confused look. "I wasn't making fun of her!" he laughed, those dimples of his deepening.

Kristen rolled her eyes again and went back to her book.

Derrick chuckled and shook his head, returning to his phone. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you two were dating."

Josh shook his head quickly. "No, no, no, Kris is just my best girl friend."

Kristen nodded, "Likewise."

Derrick and Kristen burst out laughing while Josh rolled his eyes. "Very, very funny, Kris, super funny."

Kristen took a sip of her Mountain Dew and looked at Derrick. "So I'm going to be doing some drills for soccer today, didja want to join me?"

Derrick looked at her oddly and then at Josh. "But don't you two usually...?"

Josh shook his head. "Nah, I play _lah-cross_, remember? And Kristen _sucks _at soccer. I mean, she's so flabby!" He grabbed her arm and shook it. Kristen's eyes widened and she slapped his hand away. "Not funny, Josh, not funny!"

Derrick laughed and then nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'd love to join you, thanks. I'm kind of out of shape, anyway."

Kristen nodded and smiled to herself, pleased that he agreed.

**_whereitallbegins_**

"Unfair!" Kristen yelled at Derrick. She ran to catch up after him as he kicked the ball skillfully, the ball rolling along the grass smoothly. "You're a professional, Derrick, don't be such a jerk!"

Derrick, who was breathing heavily, chuckled under his breath. With all his might, he kicked the ball into the net and it glided through the air, slicing the atmosphere at almost 32 miles per hour. Derrick beamed proudly as it hit the net at the exact angle he was hoping it would go. He fell to the ground and threw his arm across his eyes.

Kristen came up next to him, sliding and thumping hard on the ground. Her chest went up and down with the rapid breaths she took. She turned her head to Derrick and grimaced. "That's 4-2. I guess you win," she admitted.

Derrick guffawed and clapped his hands together. "I knew that I would!"

Kristen rolled her eyes and punched his arm. "Cheater; you actually _play _soccer, doofus."

Derrick rolled over onto his side to face her and chuckled. "Yeah, but you sort of play, too, dude. I mean, seriously, you're, like, almost the best girl soccer player aside from Mia Hamm, of course."

Kristen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You are so wrong in life, Derrick. She's _the _best soccer player that's a girl. Ever. I could never beat her." She shook her head in doubt and sighed. This was what she wanted; to be with Derrick. But the feeling didn't content her as much as it did when she was with Josh. She chuckled to herself as she remembered a conversation she and Josh had shared yesterday when he went over to her house.

Derrick looked at funny. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you have a funny-looking nose."

Derrick's jaw dropped and he shook his head. "So you admit it that I have a funny-looking nose, eh?" He thrust himself forward and dug his fingers deep into her sides, tickling her.

Kristen jerked forward and then back, guffawing. "Stop-stop, Derr-_st-st-st_-Derrick!" Her breathing hitched sharply and she continued laughing, her face turning red and her deep voice elevated to a higher pitch.

"Derr-Derr-Derr, stop it!" Kristen chortled.

Derrick chuckled and stopped tickling her. She slowed her breathing and lay there, watching him. He stared into her deep blue eyes and without thinking, moved in towards her. She moved in at the same time, their lips colliding and meshing together. It was a clumsy move; their noses bumped into each other's. But Kristen didn't care. She liked it. She finally got him. She didn't care if he was Claire's or Massie's or that redhead's. He was kissing her and that was what mattered the most.

**_whereitallbegins_**

Massie checked her phone; it was nearing 5:30. Derrick texted her during lunch saying he was going to be home at exactly 4:00. She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest, watching the outside from her alcove. Her chin rested on her knees and a tear rolled down her cheek. She moved her face along her arm, wiping her cheeks dry. Something stung her eye, other than her tears, and she blinked it away. She swiped under her eye and looked at her index finger. It was an eyelash. Massie grew up believing in making wishes to fallen eyelashes. She blew it away and closed her eyes.

_I wish Derrick loved me back._

* * *

**an: **_**I WISH DERRICK HARRINGTON EVEN KNEW ME. **_**:O **

**review? **

**:), **

**dez's loser friend xP**


	25. Chapter 25

**an: thanks again:) this is all for you guys and you guys only:) disclaimed because i don't own **_**lauren conrad**_**, **_**the young and the restless**_**, **_**glee**_**, or **_**the clique **_**for that matter. and neither do i own **_**harry potter**_** or **_**full house**_**. xP or anything else stated in this chapter.**

* * *

Massie Block entered the prestigious halls of Briarwood Academy, her heart pounding in her ears. She was more scared to go into the school that she'd been attending for the past several years than her first day of entering Kindergarten. What she was scared of, she wasn't aware of. As she walked down the path that opened up, she realized one thing: she had no friends. Not anymore. She waited for Derrick yesterday, he never showed. He didn't send one single text. She hated jumping to conclusions-maybe he had a good reason.

_But still, _she thought to herself, _he promised to text every hour. And he had been consistent with that until 4:00, his designated time arrival. _She sighed as she opened her locker door. It was empty, metaphorically speaking. It was still piled high with her class textbooks and notebooks and random notes of paper that Kristen and Claire jammed into it through the locker's holes. Her face dragged down as she frowned deeper. She grabbed her biology notebook and textbook and stuffed it into her JanSport plaid bag.

She slammed her locker door shut and continued to walk down the halls. To her left, girls whispered to each other about Massie and Derrick and about Kristen. She stopped and looked to her left.

_Kristen? _

"So," a blond goes, "I heard that Kristen and Derrick were caught by Mr. Myner in a lip-lock after school yesterday." She nodded with her eyes wide.

A girl with rectangular-framed glasses gasped slightly and said, "Really? But isn't she with that Josh kid? And Derrick with Massie?"

The blond shook her head. "Apparently not. Mr. Myner saw them getting all hot 'n' heavy while he was walking to his car."

The third girl, someone with coarse, curly hair that was tied into a tight ponytail asked, "But Derrick's in a relationship with Claire Lyons, remember?"

The blond shook her head vigorously, "No, no, no, they broke up at the dance because-"

"_Because he went with Massie to the hospital!_" Glasses-Girl whisper-shrieked.

Curly-Hair's jaw dropped. "Their lives are way better than L.C's. Not even _Skye Hamilton_ is getting all of this action, and she's the alpha."

The blond shrugged and added, "Oh, and did you hear that Claire's in the Pretty Committee now?"

Curly-Hair nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I did hear that! At the dance, Skye and she were talking."

The blond smirked and twirled a strand of yellow-blond hair around her index finger. "They should have a soap opera time slot or something. They're way better than _The Young and the Restless_."

Glasses-Girl nodded and snapped her gum. "Or _Glee_, and I love, love, love _Glee_."

Massie listened in for a couple of seconds more, trying finding anything else out. And it's not like she was being a prude-they _were _talking about her life. She sighed and turned onto a vacated bench. She sat on it and began contemplating about the things she heard. Things were stranger than it had been. Since she had caught Chris Plovert cheating on her with Alicia Rivera, things had gotten twistier and had become a sort of adventure for her. She _thought _she still liked Connor, she _thought _she had a thing for Derrick, she _thought _she had a thing _with _Derrick, she _thought _that Kristen and Claire were her friends, but she didn't have any contact with them for a whole week. The only people that were there, Cam and Josh, weren't there now. Connor was deep in serious damage and Antoinette was nowhere to be found. Her face fell into her opened palms and she shook her head. She needed to scream. She needed to cry. She needed someone.

She ticked it off in her head:

_Chris cheated on me, Connor was beaten half to death, Derrick is a manwhore, Claire's joined the dark side, Kristen backstabbed me, my parents are never there for me when I need them, Cam and Josh aren't around to talk to, Antoinette probably went back to where she originally lived... There's no one left but me. _

Tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks. She covered her mouth with her hand and buried her face into her bag. What was happening to her life? Who was doing this? Why did she deserve this? She had done nothing wrong to anyone. So why was her life turning upside down?

She clamped her teeth together and cradled herself into a ball on the bench. She thought she heard someone calling her name, but it was all just a blur to her then. She didn't hear anyone anymore. She couldn't even hear herself. She felt someone's hand on her forehead. And then it disappeared, and again felt it on her neck. A faint calling of her name. Another faint calling of her name. The voice sounded familiar. She wanted to call out to that person. She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to hug him and tell him to not worry. That everything was going to be alright. That his/her life was fine the way it was.

And if she could say that to someone, why didn't she believe it?

Her ears vibrated with the sound of a pen clicking, faster, faster... A bird swooping down low with high velocity, triggering a squirrel from below to scuttle away, acorns concealed in it's mouth. Massie thought she smiled at that. Lucky squirrel; he could go whenever danger came. She heard the slightest of things after that: someone was taking her temperature. A clink of teeth, her teeth, going against glass. The light footsteps of a woman. Humming, humming of a soft-voiced woman. John Lennon? Eric Clapton? Billy Idol? A door creaking open. Whispers, murmurs. The person who came in looked at her. Massie could feel his eyes on her, lingering over her, wondering what was wrong with her. She felt like magic. She knew what was happening without really knowing.

_Was this how it felt like to be Harry Potter? Or Alex? Or Sabrina? _

In her head, she was happy. In her head, she was fine. In her head, she was with Derrick. And it was he who was rubbing soothing circles into her hand. And it was him who was murmuring consoling words into her ear, telling her that he loved her, telling her that everything was going to turn out perfectly.

But it was just in her head.

**_whereitallbegins_**

Kristen looked at Derrick and raised an eyebrow. He had just told her that if David Beckham were to get into a fist fight with Kobe Bryant, David would win. Kristen shook her head and chuckled. "Wrong. You're wrong. You. Are. Wrong. First of all, in soccer, the only thing you do is kick the ball-"

"_Unless you're the goalie_," he reminded her.

Kristen nodded, "Yeah, but Beckham isn't. And since Beckham only _kicks _the ball, hence _sock-er_, he only works his calves and whatever's below the waist out. And since Bryant is a basketball player which requires him throwing and shooting the ball into the hoop, of course, he'd have better arm strength, don't you conclude?"

Derrick shook his head. "You know, Kris, you're too smart for your own good. It's kind of scary. I would never have thought of that."

Kristen chuckled. "Derrick, you are smart, you just hate thinking." She smirked and went back to her homework.

Derrick shook his head, half-smilling. It was different being with Kristen. He could talk about soccer with her. He could talk sports with her. She knew what he was trying to get at. But at the same time, being with Kristen wasn't like being with Massie. Derrick didn't _just _talk sports. He talked life. And with Kristen, he could never get that from her.

Kristen looked up at him. "What's up with you? Why are you so quiet?"

Derrick shrugged. He leaned in and kissed her lips and she fell into him.

**_whereitallbegins**_

Josh sighed and looked over at Cam who was staring into the pond. He ran a hand through his hair. "I _really _like Kristen, Cam," he murmured. "And I thought she really liked me, too. I thought that... I thought that we had something going on."

Cam shrugged. "I thought the same thing. Y'know... Derrick's nice and all, but seriously, he's just coming to me as a pain in the ass. He can never just... _be with Massie_. He's supposed to be with her. Not Claire."

Josh pulled a random, long strand of grass from next to him. "Or Kristen. I thought Derrick was our friend. Why is he... Why did he take our girls?" He tossed the weed of grass into the air. It twirled several times, battered by the wind. It came tumbling down and gracefully landed on Josh's shoe. He shook it off and repeated the process.

Cam sighed heavily again. He ran a hand through his hair and broke off a piece of bread and threw it into the pond. He watched as ducks gathered around it, nibbling and poking to see if it was all right. There was a one white, valiant duck that went straight to it and caught it into it's mouth.

Josh half-smiled. He wished that he was like that. That he could just go for it. But he couldn't. He really liked Kristen. He didn't love her, but he knew that there could be a chance for it. He sighed.

_Why can't Kristen just like me back? Why did Derrick have to come back? Why does Derrick have to be so perfect? Why was it always, always Derrick? _

Cam groaned and lay back, resting his head on his arms. "I don't think I liked Claire, dude," he mumbled.

Josh looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" he inquired. "You've been in love with her since the third grade, when you dropped your milk in the lunch room and she picked it up for you."

Cam shook his head. "I think I fell in love with the idea of falling in love. Like that Uncle Jesse guy from Full House. I think I only liked Claire because I kept assuming things; I kept thinking that we were good for each other. I kept planning it all out, how she was going to react, how we were going to get married." He scratched his chin. "I think... I think that I don't like her. No. No, I _know _that I don't like her. At all."

Josh's frown deepened. He understood what Cam said. He did talk about the future more than he talked about Claire herself at the moment. "I get it, man, I get what you're trying to say. I mean, it's good that you don't like her. She's... She's in the 'Pretty Committee', dude, the _Pretty Committee_," he spat.

Cam chuckled and threw a piece of bread at him. "What if, maybe, just maybe, we were to work out? Don't you think that I should get that chance?"

Josh shook his head in disagreement. "Nah, dude, Claire? I mean, I guess she's alright and whatever, blah, blah, blah, but she's so... _insecure_. I mean, chasing after Derrick like that? And... backstabbing her _best friends_? Who does that? Seriously, you're too good for her, Cammie boy." He nodded in the direction of a dark-haired girl with glasses. "Her, Cam, Nikki Dalton. I like her. She likes you. And she's hot. Save for the glasses."

Cam rolled his eyes and again chucked the bread at him. "Dude, I don't just date a girl for how hot they are. I mean, it's a great plus, but I date them because they're genuine and sweet and they actually _like_ me."

Josh chuckled, "And don't care that you're clingy?"

Cam scowled at him and turned again to face "Nikki Dalton". She was with a friend, someone with bushy hair that was tied back and she wore a football helmet with a tutu. Nikki chuckled at something her friend said and Cam smiled.

Josh watched his best friend watch Nikki. He chortled and said, "Ooooh, someone's checking his future wife out!"

Cam whipped an arm towards him and that made Josh laugh ever harder. "Dude, shut up, she could hear you!"

Josh cradled his stomach and fell back laughing. Cam rolled his eyes and again went back to observing Nikki. She was sitting on the cement bench, pulling off pieces of bread and feeding it to the ducks. He smiled to himself and went back to kicking Josh.

**_whereitallbegins_**

_I paid Massie a visit today. Insert smile here. She was in the Nurse's Office. She fainted in the morning. Witnesses said that she went to her locker and continued to go the a bench and cry to herself. I wonder what she was thinking about? Probably that she didn't have anyone anymore and that she regretted breaking up with me. Ha. Well, Massie, I, Christopher Lawrence Plovert, promise you that you will get me. _

_And when we get together, we'll run away to a cabin in the woods where no one can bother us. We'll make love by the fireplace and we'll have twenty-two babies together. They'll love us both for being amazing parents. And they'll all fall in love and be happy. And even when we're 44-years-old, we'll still be making love to each other. Because that's how strong our love is. Oh, Massie, I can't wait to have you in my arms again. _

_But anyway, back to visiting Massie: she was laying there looking like a perfect angel. She was whimpering though, while she said a name. It wasn't mine, however. It was Derrick's. Ugh. That manwhore. I hear that he's with Kristen now. They were caught in a heavy make-out session, apparently. Derrick's been getting too much action. Why? He doesn't deserve all of that. Hopefully he hasn't kissed Massie yet. Only I can kiss her. I hate that Massie doesn't know what it's like to be with me. I'm probably the best person she's ever kissed. Oh, Massie. I need you, Massie, why don't you understand that? _

_... She was laying there... I touched her arm. She was cold. I sat down next to her. It was like good times. I murmured comforting words into her ear, hoping she would hear me and remember me and wake up to me. She didn't. The nurse walked in before I could touch my lips to Massie's, just to see how it would feel again. When she walked in, she was about to call for security. Good thing there was a jar of Q-Tips that I smacked her with. Ha. That showed her. She knocked out cold and I only kissed Massie's cheek. But it's fine. The day I get Massie back from Derrick's evil clutches, I could kiss her all day long. Like that Lionel Richie song. _

_... _

_Kelsey is here. She's my favorite stripper. She looks a lot like Massie. And she brings me my drugs. The things I need to hallucinate and pretend that the girl I'm fucking is Massie. But with Kelsey, I don't need that. She does it all for me. I can't wait to get with Massie. Ask her to perform for me like Kelsey does. Well, I'll be off. _

_P.S: Antoinette... she needs to die. And I think I need to pay Connor a little visit. Plus Derrick's little sister. Dana. She's sexy. I'll touch her first. Haha. _

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**an: ... it's getting really gruesome guys. and this story... i'm sorry if you think i'm dragging it out. but i do have a plan. it's actually only several more chapters left and we're done. it's going to be my first ever completed story. hopefully i can finish all of this soon and then get a move on with **_**symphonies of the overdosed**_**. xP excuse my lack of grammar skills, guys. sorry .**

**thanks again:)**

**review? **

**ericka(: **


	26. Chapter 26

**An: yay, another chapter! :D love y'all, love y'all(: disclaimed:)**

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**Derrick Harrington's Elite House Party!**

**Where: Derrick's house, Maple Street, House Number 376**

**When: November 20, 7:33 PM**

**Who: Derrick Harrington and Kristen Gregory**

**Why: **_**BECAUSE WE FUCKING CAN. **_

Massie reread the neon orange flyer that she found stuffed in her locker earlier that day. She didn't know why she went; maybe it was because she needed to get out. Or maybe because she always had a thing for parties. But it was mostly because under who was going to host it, it stated _Derrick Harrington and Kristen Gregory_. And that stuck to her for the rest of the day, until she went home, finished her homework—what else was there to do after you lost your best friends?—and changed into something else.

The party hadn't started until 7:33, so Massie decided to visit Connor at the hospital. She fed him and talked to him about her current situation, and she left feeling only a tiny bit of satisfaction. She liked Derrick. She knew that for a fact. And she assumed that Derrick felt the same. But, according to rumors, and her flyer, she was wrong.

She grabbed her keys out of the ignition and stepped out of her convertible. She locked her door and adjusted her cardigan. She walked around the corner towards Derrick's house. The exterior surprised her; tissue was thrown around the trees that scattered around his front yard, kids were rolling around in the grass, some throwing up in the bushes. She could hear the loud, Jason Derulo song playing from the inside. She ran a hand through her hair and took lackadaisical steps up the driveway. She walked up to the door and opened it.

She was greeted with a couple making out, the boy's hand groping the girl's thigh. Massie wrinkled her nose and pushed past them and deeper into the house. Boys and girls of every kind held red Dixie cups, filled to the rim with bubbling, amber liquid. The loud beat of the reverberating Nicki Minaj song flowed through the house, as if the music notes were floating around. She stuffed her hands in her jacket's pockets and she walked through the house again.

_Where are you, Derrick? _

**_whereitallbegins_**

Derrick stumbled upon Dana, who's face resembled shock and ooh-i'm-gonna-tell. His eyes widened and he grabbed her arm lightly, tugging her up to her room, all the while, she was yelling, "_I'm telling Mom! I'm telling Mom!_" He shoved her into her room and he locked the door behind him. He pivoted to her and lifted his palms. "Look, Dana, listen to me. You can't tell Mom. Please. I beg you. Don't tell her. She's going to flip and I'm going to get in trouble."

Dana rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. "I saw Massie down there," she stated quietly. "Why haven't you been talking to her?"

Derrick frowned. His eyes widened. He plopped down next to her and grabbed his knees. "What do you mean she's here?"

Dana cocked an eyebrow. She shook her head and stood up, standing in front of her bulletin board. She tugged on a picture of she and Massie. Her teeth clenched together and her eyes welled with tears. "I like Massie, Derrick. She's good for you. Not your current affair. Why is it that you can't be with _Massie_? I like her. She's perfect for you, Derrick!" She whipped around and scowled at him.

Derrick's eyebrows knitted together and he ran a hand through his hair. "You don't understand, Dana. Massie doesn't want to be with _me_. I need to be with Massie. I have to be with Massie. I want to be with Massie. She's just the best thing that could ever happen to me. But the thing is, she doesn't think the same way." He released a heavy sigh and buried his face into his hands. He peered up at her and said, "I really do like her, though. No, no, I love her."

Dana rolled her eyes and shouted, "_Then ask her to be your girlfriend, Derrick! _She's waiting for you to make the move!"

Derrick stood up and angrily yelled, "_I already did that, Dana! Listen to me! No matter what you think of me, I will always love Massie!_" His voice lowered and he sheepishly looked down at his feet. "But she doesn't feel the same way."

"How do you know?"

"Because I just do, okay? You'll learn when you get older. You'll see."

Dana stared at him, sympathy lost in her eyes. "You need to do something, Derrick. Things are getting creepy. And Massie... you stopped talking to her! You practically lived at her house for a week, and then all of a sudden, you're with _Gregory_?" she spat her name out as if it was a lemon-spinach milkshake.

Derrick stared at her. "Fine, Dana. I'll try. But I won't make any promises."

**_whereitallbegins_**

Josh wandered around the gargantuan haven that Derrick secluded himself in. He had seen it all; the groping, the dancing, the drinking, the yelling. He saw Kristen practically taking her shirt off for Derrick. He sat down on a picnic table in Derrick's backyard. He looked up at the moon and gazed at the bright light that illuminated the whole of New York.

From behind him, he heard footsteps crushing against the plush, green grass. "Josh?" a tiny voice whispered.

He whirled around on the bench, coming face to face with Dana Harrington. Her light brown eyes sparkled and her usually wavy dark honey blond hair was straightened. She timidly stepped forward and her cheeks were flushed. "Joshua Hotz, I haven't seen you since elementary," she quickly recovered.

Josh laughed and stepped off the bench. "Hey you," he chuckled, pulling her in for a tight embrace.

They backed down onto the bench again and sat down together. Josh had forgotten how fun Dana actually was. They chatted for almost two hours, about life in Minnesota and in Westchester, about Derrick, about school, about past girlfriends and boyfriends and about life in general.

He chuckled at the necklace she had chained around her neck. It was of a pink cow with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. He pressed his thumb into it and Dana jerked back. "Don't touch me there, Josh!" She smacked his arm and he winced. "Ouch," he responded, rubbing his arm. "Jeez, you slap really hard."

Dana giggled behind her palm and clapped her hands together. "Well, someone needs to protect me. What if I was walking down the street alone and some random creep came up to me and started inappropriately harassing me?" she asked him in a _duh _manner.

Josh rolled his eyes and casually wrapped an arm around her tiny shoulders. "Then my Dana's-in-trouble radar would start tingling and I'd come for you with tights outside of my skinny jeans," he simply replied.

Dana giggled again and subtly leaned into Josh. She always had the tiniest of crushes on him. She'd constantly flirt with him, hoping that he'd finally stop thinking her Derrick Harrington's younger sister and finally think of her as Dana Harrington, girl that's free to date. "Well, thank you," she smiled.

Josh softly smiled and leaned his cheek on the top of her head. "No. Thank you," he murmured.

She looked up and stared at his deep red lips. They seemed kissable. Full and so close to her mouth. Dana Harrington took a leap of faith and dove in, her lips landing perfectly on his.

**_whereitallbegins_**

Derrick didn't know why the hell he had to walk in on Josh and his little _14-year-old _sister kissing. Under _his _circumstances of half-asleep and half-drunk? He yelled unintelligible words, all of them a string of possible profanities. He stumbled upon his own feet, but continued his way towards his younger sister and so-called friend.

**;;**

Massie heard the yelling from inside the large cave of a house. She quickly disabled the music and rushed her way outside, following the flock of kids who were curious about the goings-on. She pushed through and outside to find Dana screaming at Derrick who was on top of Josh, punching his already bloody face. Cam was there as well, pulling Derrick off of Josh, yelling something about everything being Derrick's fault or something or other. Invading her peripheral vision were the Pretty Committee, Claire standing there with a hand planted on her hip. But Massie could see deep into her eyes.

She felt horrible for Josh. Even if she apparently "liked" Derrick, Josh was still her friend and seeing that crushed her. Kristen was busy cackling away like an idiot on the side, chanting for Derrick to pants Josh.

Massie rolled her eyes angrily and stormed her way to Dana who was sobbing and yelling at Derrick to stop. Massie shoved her to the side lightly and then shoved Cam. She didn't know where her anger was coming from, but she was glad that it came to her now. Cam rolled off of Derrick and landed on his back with a thud. She grabbed Derrick's shoulder blades and wrestled his back until he came loose and fell onto his back.

**;;**

Derrick looked up at his opponent who had succeeded in tugging him off of his newfound enemy. The beauty that he stared at was Massie herself, her eyes wild and her chest going up and down, her breathing coming out loud. She leaned down and smacked Derrick right across his face. His hand flew up to his cheek in astonishment, and a round of gasps circulated.

She leaned down, her amber eyes drilling into his innocent brown ones. "You're an ass, Derrick Harrington. You're a big ass. So stop making such a big fool of yourself because you're just pitiful." Her back erected and she whirled off with Dana hidden under the crook of her arm.

Josh lay there, Cam with an ice pack on his face. His eyes widened at the sight of his mom next to Josh, taking aid to his wounded appearance, gently wiping the blood off. She looked up at him, anger and disappointment written on her face. She sighed and mumbled something incoherent.

To Derrick's buzzing ears, he thought he heard her say, "I agree."

**_whereitallbegins_**

Dana sniffled into Massie's shoulder. "I didn't think Derrick was going to be angry! Or see that I did that!"

Massie sighed and rubbed her arm. "I know, sweetie, I know," she consoled. She brought her to a corner in the street and they sat on the edge of the sidewalk.

Dana shook her head. "I feel so bad for Josh. The only reason why Derrick even decided on punching him is because he saw you and... Or... I..." She looked up at Massie, her eyes red and swollen. She shook her head again and ran both of her hands through her hair.

"I just... He likes you so much, Massie. He took his anger out in himself out on Josh, I think. No, I know. He... Or... I just... I just wish that you and Derrick would stop for just four seconds and see how perfect you guys are for each other. I mean, you need him and he needs you and you both want each other. It's just that there's always something _there_ that stops it from happening! I mean, don't you think that breaking up with Chris Plovert _the day you see Derrick again_... Don't you think that that's fate? That there's a reason _why _on that particular day that you break up with him?"

Massie sighed and again rubbed her arm. "Dana, shhh, you don't know what you're talking about. Your brother doesn't need me. Now, again, tell me what was up with that? Why did Derrick punch Josh again?"

Dana threw her hands up in the air. "Because he saw Josh and I kissing! I mean, it's not like it was Josh himself who kissed me, it was me who initiated it! And Josh was trying to push me away anyway. And then Derrick came stomping over and gave a big whopping punch to him in the face and boom!" Her hands separated to show what she meant by the boom.

Massie smiled at that. Even if Dana was depressed, she could still keep her animated self. "Okay, and then what?"

"And then you came and did your thing, which by the way was amazing. I mean, did you see the way everyone was looking at you? They practically wanted to bow down to you!" She chuckled to herself and made a bowing motion towards Massie. "You are amazing, O Holy One."

Massie pushed her hands away and shook her head. "No, no, disagree. Don't do that. The only reason why I did that in the first place is because he was irritating me. It wasn't for anyone else but for me. And I guess for Josh, as well, but that was because it was unfair that Derrick hurt him like that. It's like, it was _your _choice to kiss Josh, not _his_. And I just wanted to show him that. Because..." She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Nothing, never mind. Uh," she stood up and hurriedly wiped the bottoms of her jeans, "let's go over there." She pointed to a lone street corner and Dana nodded, following suit.

They walked over to the street corner, the atmosphere turning colder and darker. Dana shivered under her jacket and anxiously glanced at Massie. "Mass, I don't like the feeling I'm getting here." She grimaced and ran a hand through her hair, shivering again.

Massie nodded, not paying attention. Her focus was pointed on a bush. What was peculiar were the familiar pair of legs that were sticking out of it. Her head buzzed with what she knew she was going to see. She had gotten paranoid after the Connor incident, thinking that everything around her, even the every day ordinances, could kill.

But those legs... They didn't seem like an every day coincidence.

Pushing the bushes apart, it only led her to the one thing she was afraid to witness.

Antoinette's body lay there like Massie had pictured it to be. Blood, there was blood again. And gurgling, she could hear it from countries away. And Dana yelled for something. Was it help? Was she asking who it was? There was a beer bottle, too. And her purse dragged open. But it wasn't easy for her to lay eyes upon her. Again, pitch dark black engulfed her, swallowing her whole. A faded, screaming voice was the last thing she heard.

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**an: read anything by the following authors: smilez014, picturebookgirl, and simplysparks. amazing shit right there. **

**review? **

**love, **

**erycka(: **


	27. Chapter 27

**an: disclaimed. I love you all(: so very, very much(: and i'm almost done with the story:D and it only took **_**one whole year**_**(:**

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"_Ehmagawd_, I can't believe this!" Charles exclaimed as he entered Antoinette's all-white hospital room, save for the little paintings hung on the wall.

Massie was sitting on a green cushioned chair, holding Antoinette's hand. She was deathly afraid for her; she had slipped into a coma, due to the damages to the brain. The doctors informed Massie that if she wouldn't wake up in the next three days, it could lead to extremely bad news. Massie shut her eyes and squeezed Antoinette's hand, hoping and praying that she'd wake up. Antoinette, although they'd met only a couple of months ago, had become a part of her life, for some reason. She'd need here there if ever she broke down again.

She was strong. And that's what Massie needed. Strength.

Charles's eyes were swollen and red, the tears spilling out of his eyes ruining his mascara. "I called her mom from Spain, that's where she's at right now. Oh, my poor Latina," he bawled into Antoinette's blanket.

Massie sniffled, trying to hold back the tears ready to let themselves go. What was happening to her life ? Who was doing this to the people she loved? Massie needed answers. She needed someone to explain all that was happening to her. She needed anyone to listen to her.

"What about her dad?" Massie mumbled, trying not to look at Charles for fear that if she saw his tears, she'd burst, too.

Charles shook his head. "Her dad left Antoinette and her mom years ago. He was an ass, I'm glad he left."

Massie only nodded, unsure of what to think at the moment. Just then, Josh came in, his eye still visibly bruised. He was carrying a vase of flowers and a fruit basket on his other hand. "I heard 'bout what happened from Dana," he murmured as he came closer.

Massie took the things he was holding and placed them on the bedside drawer. She nodded, not able to spare a glance at Josh. These days, she couldn't hold herself as gracefully as she could before all of this happened. "How are you, though, Josh?" she managed to inquire, her fingers playing with the jasmines that separated the calla lilies from the tulips.

Josh shrugged, his eyes glued to Antoinette's unconscious body. Charles was still bawling hysterically into her blanket. Josh would've been one to make fun of that, if he didn't feel so bad. He gulped and in his best everything's-going-to-be-alright voice, he said, "I'm good. And Dana is, too. And Cam, and Kristen. But I don't know 'bout Derrick. Haven't seen him since..." His voice trailed off, leaving a sense of incomplete thoughts to be pondered upon.

Massie nodded, her eyes leading themselves out to the window. She saw the whole of Westchester out the window; the green trees, the children laughing and playing in the park, lovers holding hands, the sun just about to set on everyone. She sighed. She needed to be one of them. She wanted to be a part of that.

"Get better, Massie," Josh murmured quietly.

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**an: i know, filler. but i just needed you guys to know what happened to antoinette, mmyeah? :D oh, and ^^ i hope that that answers what the frequently asked question was; whether or not antoinette died. unfortunately for chris plovert, i did not kill her. :) **

**love, **

**ericka(: **


	28. Chapter 28

**an: yeeeeee hello there, dudes:) disclaimed. and secret: devon hayes is back to rock your world. or, for this chapter, at least. :D read on, read on. :)  
**

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"You're a loser, Massie, no one's going to like you. An LBR is what you are. We've taken Claire, your best friend, and soon enough, we'll have Josh, Kristen, Derrick _and _Cam licking out of the palm of our hands. 'Cause we're just that kind of awesome," Skye Hamilton taunted near her head, whispering it just so Massie could hear.

Dylan Marvil's red curls bounced next to Massie's next. "Yes, Mah-see, we're going to destroy you, one by one. And you betcha, babe, it's going to be easy."

Massie's eyes were shut, her bottom lip trembling. Why wasn't anyone helping her? She tried hard not to listen to them. _Don't listen, Massie, they're just trying to bring you down. You know these types of girls. They're mean and cruel. But they took Claire away from me... They could do it to Kristen, hell, I don't even know where she is at this moment. And what about Derrick? He's a manwhore who won't even admit it. And Cam and Josh and I aren't that close, why would I bother them? Ugh... I haven't even seen Devon in forever, where's he? I hope he's not hurt. I hope he's having a good Thanksgiving. 'Cause he deserves that. A good Thanksgiving. _

"What are you thinkin' 'bout, Maaaah-seeee?" Olivia Ryan breathed into Massie's ear. She let out a ragged breath and tried her best not to curl into a tight ball and push the heels of her hands into her ears.

Massie instead pursed her lips, pushed herself off the bench she situated herself onto and sauntered off, confidence emitting from her outside. But on the inside, she was crumbling. Inside, everything was closing in on her, suffocating her of her liveliness. There was no hope for her. There was nothing she could do anymore. It was dark.

**_whereitallbegins_**

Massie had forgotten all about the annual Thanksgiving Benefit that her family hosted. A combination of an auction and a dinner, it was the one gathering Massie detested because of the snobby families and the obnoxious children who would think they were better than anyone in the world. She sighed as her mom rushed her into the colossal hotel, leading her down into a room where Massie would change from her wanted t-shirt and jeans into an unwanted Ella Moss dress.

She slowly made her way down to the crowd of people dressed in fancy gowns and tuxedos. She raised an eyebrow and internally mocked a group of teenagers in a huddle. She shook her head, her curls bouncing, and made her way through the throngs of various people. She peeked her head out from behind a stout, balding man, only to see that Cam Fisher was the only one on the guest list who even bothered to come.

"Massie, Massie!" a little boy's voice cried. She turned around, and there, standing in a classic black tuxedo and his hair tousled from the run. "Massie, I missed you!" Devon called excitedly. Massie laughed out of utter happiness and lifted him into her arms. She hadn't seen him for over two months, and she had wondered about his doings for many restless nights. He giggled with her and tapped her forehead. "How've you been doing? Any good news? And how's Derrick? Did you tell him you miss 'im yet?" He fired off into different topics, telling her about his current infatuation with Oreo Cakesters, how his older sister had a new "smokin'" boyfriend, how he found a stray dog that lounged around his front yard and how he named him Columbo, and how his dad was going off to Australia for a business trip, and they were all going to go with him.

"I'm sorry, Massie, I just really missed you," he said as they strolled down the sidewalk, away from the goings-on inside the hotel.

Massie chuckled and shook her head. "It's fine, Devon, it's fine, really. I missed you, too." She grinned down at him and he smiled back.

"So, Massie, really, though, how are _you_? What are _you _up to nowadays? Hopefully, over the guy who made someone as beautiful as you cry?" He smiled up at her again, his front teeth still not having grown.

Massie chuckled, tears springing into her eyes. "Oh, little Devon, no, no, no. I'm over him, yeah, and I'm fine, really. Just... Peachy." She forced a smile and rolled her eyes back into her head subtly, thinking that if her eyes went back, so would her tears.

Devon nodded and tugged on her hand, sitting them on a cement bench. The chilly air nipped at Massie's bare shoulders and her already rosy cheeks. The light wind blew at all things, the leaves on the vines tumbled over each other, the hoots of the late night animals being carried away. Devon looked up at Massie and frowned. He unbuttoned his jacket and handed it to her. Massie giggled and shook her head. Devon's grimace deepened and he shoved it to her. "Massie, I don't want you _freeeeeeeeezing _to death." He stuck his tongue out and again pushed it to her.

Massie laughed and shook her head. "No, Dev, that's really sweet, but no, I don't want _you _freezing to death."

"And neither do I," Cam's voice appeared, him draping his jacket over her shoulders. Massie looked up and smiled.

"Hey there," she said into the night.

Devon giggled to himself and hopped off the bench, waving good-bye at Massie and winking at Cam. "G'luck Derrick," he giggled, running off.

Cam shot Massie a did-he-just-call-me-Derrick? Look, and Massie giggled to herself and nodded. Her insides, as she had pictured it, had numbed over and what was left was the remains of tiny, painful scars. She patted the space next to her, the cold feeling of the bench seeping into her flesh. Cam clucked his tongue and sat down, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Massie sighed, her breathing heavier than it used to be. She stared up at the moon, it's fullness and it's glare on the world. It shone down brightly, reflecting itself in the oceans, the lakes, the ponds, the puddles. Massie wished she was the moon sometimes. It was big, it was bright, it was _there_. But no one ever bothered it.

"What are you thinking about?" Cam murmured, playing with the loose string on his shirt.

Massie pondered that question for a moment, digging deep to feed Cam an answer. She bit her bottom lip and quietly said, "What it'd be like if Derrick Harrington never came into our lives." She closed her eyes, anticipating the nasty jab she'd receive and then a smack, maybe.

Cam chuckled under his breath and nodded. "Good thing to think 'bout. But you shouldn't keep hurting about him, Massie. Look, I kind of already know you like him. Like, a lot. Maybe even more. But, I see that you're hurt. And see, Massie, we're _all _kind of hurting right now. But, at the same time, you don't want to keep being the quiet girl in a corner, waiting for everyone to pass by and to leave you alone." He turned his head to her direction and smiled, the sides of his eyes crinkling up child-like. "You're the kind of girl that would leave her mark anywhere, Massie. You're the kind of girl who usually wouldn't be afraid to speak her mind or to do anything drastic. You're the type of girl, Massie, to be strong for others moreover than yourself."

Massie pursed her lips, her voice quavering. "But I don't want to be strong anymore, Cam. I'm tired of it all. I'm done with it. Derrick obviously doesn't want to be with me. Claire, like, left for no good reason. Kristen's with Derrick... I can't exactly go to you and Josh, can I?"

"_What_?" Cam burst hysterically. "Of _course_ you can, Mass. Who said not?"

Massie simply shrugged and turned away. Cam let out a sullen breath and scooted closer, closer, until his arms were around her, trapping her to his chest. She sniffled and broke down in front of Cam, letting it all out in one big jumbled mess. "I just, I just don't know what to do anymore, Cam. I've lost my best friend ever, I've lost Derrick, the one person who promised never to leave, I've lost Chris, the guy who told me he loved me. I've lost so much, Cam. Why the hell am _I _going through this? Who the hell is up there in space watching me suffocate? Who's trying to break me? Who is hurdling all of these things at me without giving me a chance to breathe and live? I'm only sixteen, Cam. I can't handle any of this."

The light _pitter-patter _of rain began to descend onto the earth, dampening the greens and browns of the world and once again filling up the oceans and lakes. The rain mixed in with Massie's tears; soaked into the pair's hair; ran through tumbling tides; fell onto and into Massie and Cam.

"But Massie... I need you to be strong," Cam whispered into her ear quietly.

Massie shook her head. "Why, Cam, why?"

It was stillness that entered the conversation, before he could ever reply to a question such as that. And then, "Because sometimes being strong is the only option we have left."

The silence of the world began to dawn onto the two. It left a strange, lonely mark. And yet, it was one of the happiest feelings that Massie endured. There was so much left to be said, but there wasn't much time to say it. All the feelings that could ever be bottled up were being said, at the moment, at any moment in time.

Their lips pressed into each other's with so much force, it left both of them bruised. Their hands worked themselves into each other's hair, finding each other, being each other. It was a game of dishonesty; of faith; of love. Cam kissed Massie to see if he really was over Claire. Massie kissed Cam because, well, he was there, bluntly enough.

She pulled away first, staring into his multi-colored eyes. It was one of the best kisses she had ever shared with anyone. But his kisses weren't for her. Tears once again sprung into her eyes and she ran, ran far away. She kicked her expensive Jimmy Choos off and let her legs lead her back into the hotel, dripping wet. Mascara running, hair frizzing and her heart beating louder than any Slipknot song, she fell to her knees.

What Cam said to her opened up something new in her heart. It opened up hope, it opened up a new beginning. That's what she needed. A new beginning.

She was strong again.

* * *

**an: mmm... **

**secret: i'm married to josh duhamel but i'm sharing a secret, very passionate affair with charlie st. cloud, and-and-and, i'm screwing around with sean foreman :D but my heart really belongs to cam fisher [although, i'm also being very flirtatious with logan henderson] siiigh, if only, i know, i know. xD**

**tell me 'bout your crazy fantasies xD aaaaanywaaaay, this story's just about to end, very soon. :) and thanks to everyone who's kept up with me and my crazy disappearing acts, although they were irritating. you guys are just some of the most amazing people in the world. like, seriously. xD you all deserve free hugs. :) **

**so, i'll leave this off, telling you all that this story is going to be finished _exactly _on january 23, the day that i posted this up. it would be 356 days of excitement, disappointment, disappearances, reappearances, and everything else that would end this story. :) **

**review? **

**ericka  
**


	29. Chapter 29

**an: hello there. disclaimed, per usual. xP long chapter, long a/n. dedicated to dani. because even if she won't read this, even if she won't come back, even if she's somewhere else, hopefully enjoying love, i'm always going to love her 'cause she was just the best friend ever. _ever_.  
**

* * *

Several days passed by since the Thanksgiving Benefit where Cam leaned in to kiss Massie. It was a thought that lingered in his head for more than a couple of times. The idea of Massie and Cam being a couple, however, scared him. Massie, she was too much to handle, and Cam, he wanted a subtle relationship; one where things are said through eye contact and thoughts are shared through light fingertip brushes.

Cam sighed to himself, walking along Westchester's only park. He stopped by the pond that Josh and he once rested at. He sat down on the dewy grass and watched the ducks once again, swimming away from each other, near each other, around each other. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. A distance away, he could just imagine Nikki Dalton standing by the classic wooden bench, throwing bread into the pond.

"Cam? Cam? Cam, is that you?" a whiny voice reiterated.

Cam turned around, his eyes heavy and his reflexes slower than usual.

Claire stood in front of him, the heavy wind blowing wisps of white-blond hair into her navy blue eyes and her body clad in head to toe designer wear. She smiled widely and extended her arms out, pulling him in a hug from behind. "Oh my _Gawd_, Cammie, I've _missed _you!" she squealed.

Cam's eyes widened. Her voice was even more high-pitched than usual and her squealing had gotten more irritating than he remembered. In fact, did she ever really squeal? Cam awkwardly patted her back, his eyes darting around for a certain dark haired-beauty, hoping that he wouldn't see her hugging Claire. "Uh, hey there, Claire," he mumbled.

She squealed again and made a face as she backed away from him. "_EhmaGawd_, _why_ are you sitting _there_? It's, like, so dirty." She stuck her tongue out and wrinkled her ski-slope nose, digging her hands into her trench coat's pocket.

Cam raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I don't know, I like it. It's peaceful down here. No one bothers me." _Except for a one girl named Claire_.

Claire nodded with understanding and giggled to herself. "So, like, how are you guys? You know, the gang? I'm, like, _uber _sorry that I don't hang out with y'all any more. Like, I totally wish I could break away from Skye, but you know, it's like, totally impossible. I mean, she's like, so racin'." She nodded, her eyes wide.

Cam awkwardly stared at Claire. "Racing?" he asked.

Claire shook her head, throwing her head back and laughing maniacally. "No, silly, _racin_'. It totally means, like, cool and shit like that." She nodded and smiled, showing off her pearly whites.

Cam nodded slowly, confusion on his face. _Racin'? And, y'all? And uber?_ "Uh, okay then. You keep thinkin' that. Heh," he awkardly coughed and turned away. "So, like, I have to go now. My mom—"

"But _Cam_!" she whined, looping her arm through his, "We haven't _tawked _in for_ever_. We seriously, like, need to. Tell me about Cameron. How have _you_ been? Or, you know what? Let's start with me first, since I have so much to tell you. So, like, you know how I got with the PC, right?" She giggled and waved her hand around, as if to dismiss the thought. "I'm sorry, I meant _the Pretty Committee_. Only members of the Pretty Committee can call it the PC, or TPC, 'cause it's racin' like that." She giggled again and Cam cringed. Had she always been that annoying? "Anyway, as I was saying, so, yeah, Skye met up with me on the night of the Halloween dance where she taught me how to get over, like, all my ex-boyfriends." She smiled at him as they passed by a squirrel that was chewing away on an acorn.

"And how would that be?" Cam asked, only because he had a feeling that Claire wanted him to ask her.

She giggled and ran a French-manicured hand through her thin hair. "By going out with other guys, _duh_!" She again _giggled_ that insanely irking laugh which caused Cam to flinch once again. "So, anyway, I've gone out with, like, all these cool guys, but, sigh, sadly enough, they pale in comparison to Derrick. He'll always be my first love, y'know. But since bitchy little Massie—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, what?" Cam stopped them and shoved her arm away from him. He glared at her as she stretched her arm about and frowned.

"Ow, Cammie, that _really _hurt. I think you, like, broke my arm," she scoffed.

Cam shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Claire, tell me, why would you say that _Massie's _the bitch here? You have _got _to be kidding me, Claire, _really_? After _all _that Massie's been through, you're going to blame _her _for all of this, all that's happening to her?"

Claire stood there, shell-shocked, her eyebrows scrunched together and her jaw dropped slightly. "Ugh," she scoffed again, "_obviously _you're going to take her side. They always take her side 'cause she's a Mary Sue. She's such a perfect little bitch. I mean, she's nice and she's funny and she's pretty and everyone likes her—"

"That's not true, Claire. Everything you stated is what you are, too! But, see, the thing is, Claire, you're _not _perfect because you fucking _left _your best friend the moment she needed you the most. She needed you there when she and Chris broke up with each other and you didn't do shit, Claire, you didn't do shit. Not only that, but you tried to take Derrick away from her! You _knew _Derrick had a thing for Massie, you _knew _that. But, since you're so selfish and you care about _only _yourself and no one else around you, you bailed on her! You _and _Kristen. Seriously, what the hell? Massie had _always _been there for you guys and you fucking _leave_. Seriously, if I could _punch _you right now..." He angrily punched his thigh and went back to shouting at Claire, hand gestures and all. "_You're _the bitch here, Claire, going around and being... _Gah_, I just don't know how to explain it to you anymore, Claire. You're just so... So _stupid_. You're conniving, you're mean, you're whiny and you're just too immature to be sixteen, Claire. Face it—you're never going to be liked by any of us anymore." Cam had no idea what he was saying anymore, so it all came out in a mess of words that trailed off after another. "You know what, Claire? I can't believe I actually used to like you. You used to be so nice and so sweet, and now, look at you. You're the 'less hotter version of Regina George'. Like, seriously; you think that all these people look up to you and want to be you, but _no _Claire, you're literally _destroying _their lives. You're coming up with all these rules that girls have to follow and you think you're smart for coming up with them, they're _not_, Claire. You and your little Pretty Committee make no sense whatsoever. So you know what, maybe you girls _are _perfect for each other; stick with each other because in the end, you four are all you'll ever have."

He swallowed and turned away from Claire, glad that he was able to let that all out. There was still so much to be said, still so much to be thought out, but for Cam, it was over for him. He was finished with his part in this story. He was going to enjoy what was left of his sixteen-year-old life and then move on to his seventeen-year-old life, and on and on, wherever it took him.

"Cam?" Claire whispered.

He turned around, his dark eyebrow arched once again, his face stoic and expressionless.

One corner of her lips turned up and softly, she said, "You used to like me?"

Cam let out a cynical chuckle and he shook his head. "Yeah, Claire, I did. The only regret of my life."

* * *

**an: four for you, cam fisher, four for you! **

**so, remember how i said i was going to finish this _exactly _on the 23rd? i totally flaked, 'cause today's the 20th, and i have, like, six chapters left -_- so, i epically fayl. i just really thought that it was still far away, when it really wasn't, so yeah, kind of my fault. and tomorrow, i'll be posting two chapters, so yeah. :) **

**uh, i guess that's it. review? :)**

**ericka  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**an: ah, yes, another update. disclaimed.  
**

* * *

"So, wait," Josh said, wheeling around to face Kristen's blank expression, "you and Derrick weren't _really _together? You just talked and kissed, like, one time."

"No, _seven times_," Kristen corrected, her eyebrow poised.

Josh stuck his tongue out and scratched his chin. "But, you're not together anymore, with Derrick, I mean."

Kristen shook her head and shrugged. "Guess not."

Josh skeptically sat next to her on the creme-colored couch. "And you're not in any emotional pain whatsoever?"

Kristen moved over and crossed her legs, leaning her head back on the arm of the couch. "I mean, I guess I'll miss him and stuff, but... We're just not the couple type of people. It's, well, 'cause the only thing we ever really got to talk about was soccer. And then we made out. But, see, we both kind of knew it wasn't going to get anywhere."

Josh nodded. "Then why'd you continue it? Like, why did you keep _being _with him?" he asked, the tinge of jealousy, hurt and curiosity hidden in his voice.

Kristen shrugged, playing with the loose thread that escaped from the throw pillow on Josh's couch. "I'm not sure... I guess it's 'cause... I... I don't really know, actually. I mean, I guess with all the stress put on us, with Massie being hurt—which I feel _horrible _about—and Connor still being in the hospital and Antoinette being in a coma..." She shook her head and sighed, rubbing her eyes. She stretched her arms over her head and she turned to Josh, who was staring at her.

"So, like, are you going to talk to Massie?" he asked, playing with the hem of his two-layered shirt.

Kristen half-smiled, staring at the coffee table in front of her, her hand tucked under her neck. "Yeah, I texted her last night asking if I could call, and then I did, and we talked for four hours straight. We both officially hate Claire," she chuckled to herself, and then frowned. "But, at the same time, I'll miss her. I mean, she was my best friend, you know? Aside from Massie, she was there for me, too. It's not like she did anything _horrible_. I mean, yeah, she left and shit, but, I mean, she's Claire, she's too fragile." She shrugged and stretched her legs out so that they lay on top of Josh's lap.

Surprised, he placed his elbows on her jean-clad legs and asked, "So, like, if Claire _did _realize her mistake, though, and she pleaded for your forgiveness, would you give it? I mean, like... Even after she abandoned you and Massie and repeatedly hurt Massie's feelings? And... I mean, Claire, yeah, she's cool and all, but being too sweet and fragile is never an excuse."

Kristen nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I get that, but see, you don't know Claire like I do."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Oh, really now? Did you ever think that she'd do this to you guys? Just leave you for the fucking _Pretty Committee_?"

Kristen's eyebrows knitted together in anger. She was astonished at how quickly she got angry with Josh's debate. She quickly stood up and glowered menacingly at Josh's confused face. "Okay, fine, I admit, I didn't know that that wasn't going to happen. But obviously, you're going to befriend Derrick again, right? Even after he was sort of with Claire, _even when Cam liked her_, and you guys _still _talked to him right?"

"That's different!" Josh protested, standing up, towering over Kristen.

"Oh _really _now? Tell me how that's different!"

"Well," he began, pacing around the room, to get away from Kristen's green grass eyes, "it's different because it's not like he went _totally _against our backs. And, and because he did apologize to Cam. And Claire never apologized. She just stabbed you all. And you're literally going to let her come back if she wants to? You never know with Claire anymore, Kris. She left you once, you don't know if she's going to leave again!"

"And what would you know about people leaving and not coming back again?" Kristen inquired firmly, following his retreating back.

Josh led them to his classic kitchen, with ferns hanging from chains, a stainless refrigerator, and a green-tiled counter. He marched over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of Mountain Dew.

Kristen, with her nostrils flared and her fists in a ball, grabbed the green bottle and whipped it across the cavernous kitchen. Josh, in fresh agitation, glared at Kristen, his eyes wide, his teeth bare. "What the hell'd you do that for, Kristen? Seriously, now? Stop being so immature!" he yelled, going over to retrieve the bottle.

Kristen frowned and grabbed a fistful of his shirt from behind. "No, Josh, answer the question first!" she growled.

Josh froze, his face freezing, then softening. His teeth clamped together and licked his lips. With his eyes closed, he murmured, "You. You, Kristen. You left with Derrick. And it hurt me so much—that you were with him and not me, and that you had left without even telling me. The whole time period that you were with Derrick, you didn't even bother talking to me anymore! You were fully with him, Kris." He reached behind him and gently moved her fist. He turned around and stared into her now pale green eyes. "Kris, I was scared that you weren't going to come back. You were my best friend. In the two weeks that we started talking, I told you my whole life story. We spent _hours _talking on the phone about everything and anything, and I thought that it was going to be the beginning of..." He scratched his forehead and sighed. "I thought it was going to be the beginning of forever, Kris."

Kristen's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes widening. She felt her heart drop into her stomach, her hands were stuck to her side and her breathing gradually slowed down, until they were just uneven inhales and exhales. Had she just heard Josh say something about forevers? With her? _What? _

He sighed and his eyes were still boring into hers, but he could tell that he had caught her. She didn't have a snappy comeback for what he was going to say next. "Kristen, I... I have the biggest crush on you. Or, _had_. I mean... It all started in the seventh grade. We were classmates and you were just so funny. We never talked or anything, but you'd be so confident when presenting our projects in class. You always had something witty to say, and it just caught me, like bait catching onto hungry fish. And it slowly progressed from there. I was sad, 'cause we only had, like, two classes together. And then summer rolled around, and I thought I got over you. But no. Eighth grade came 'round, and when I found out that we had _four _classes together, boy, was I excited. I couldn't hold it in." He shook his head and pulled himself onto a stool, staring at his folded hands.

"You were just the brightest light of me, Kris. I didn't know you all that well. But, we started talking then. Just a couple of conversations. But from there, I just knew that I wanted to ask you out. But then I find out, from a conversation with you, that you liked Derrick. You didn't say it right then and there, but I knew you were talking 'bout him. He _is _one of my best friends." He smirked ruefully and bowed his head. "But I never gave up on you, Kris. I thought, it was better to just be friends and talk to you than to give up on our ever increasing friendship. But it hurt, though. It's like, Derrick had already left, and still there was this perfect girl who fawned over him. Gosh, was I jealous.

"And then we stopped talking. No classes with each other for the ninth grade and the tenth. We exchanged a hi every now and then, but we never had a solid how-are-you-doing conversation. And then Derrick comes back during junior year and... And I was so scared. 'Cause Kris, even if we didn't talk, my feelings for you, they never changed. I mean, I wasn't waiting for you, waiting until you saw that I was your guy, but still. At first, Claire and Derrick went at it, going on a couple of dates, and I though, oh, well, he should be with Massie, but okay, as long as he doesn't try and get with Kristen.

"But, just my luck, I hear that you guys are together. No thanks to Derrick, of course. My anger, it led to a couple of mistakes—me getting in trouble with my dad 'cause I broke one of his trophy cases and then I had a long talk with one of the mall cops 'cause I was causing a riot apparently. But... I was just so angry. I didn't know how to let it out, at all. It sucked, 'cause I was there, someone who needed help, someone who needed you to listen to. And—and all the while, Kristen, while you're out trying to get Derrick's attention, I'm here for you, Kris, willing to give you all my attention whenever you wanted it."

Josh swallowed and tiredly ran a hand through his hair. He lifted his head to find tears streaming quietly down her rosy cheeks. He was surprised; clichés usually had girls jumping with joy the moment the boy poured his heart out. He hopped off his stool and took her face in his palms. "Are—are—I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

Kristen, her eyes red and her mucus and tears flowing together, shook her head. Her voice shaky and her heart thumping louder by the minute in her chest, she whispered, "You said everything right."

* * *

**an: :)**

**and just to let everyone know, yes, i _do _know that i created massie as a mary sue. but, that's my own fault, i take all credit for that, no one else. i'm sorry if this made you "vomit out" whatever blah blah blah-ness, i truly am. i'm still learning as an author, and i actually think that i'm getting better, maybe not just yet with characters, but i'll get better. :) but anyway, to the second anon, it's okay :) i didn't take it too bad. so, thank you both anons for your reviews. :) **

**love, **

**ericka :)  
**


	31. Chapter 31

**an: listening to bruno mars' ****grenade****. :O disclaimed. ****  
**

* * *

_Now that it's almost December... I reckon it's the perfect time for a killing spree, eh? I mean, seriously, there's nothing else that I wouldn't want. To tell everyone how I nearly killed Antoinette what's-her-name and how Connor's still in the hospital, still recovering. Well, it was a pretty hard blow to his face, so you know. _

_Now all I need is to take Derrick down. It's almost time for that, 'course. I have a master plan devised. No one's going to help me with this one. I'm going to do it all on my own. I'm going to find him, Harrington, and it's going to be me and him, one on one. I'll pretend to be someone else, though. I don't think he's ever really seen me. He won't know the difference from Chris then, and Chris now. I'll start off with being affable, talking to him about the weather, maybe. That always seems to work. Then I'll bring it to him slowly. Bring him to a vacant parking lot, when no one's watching, I'll hit him with a bat and then I'll bring him to an empty warehouse. _

_I'll torture him then. He'll be tied up and I'll keep him there for a little while, maybe. I saw him and Kristen at a restaurant earlier. They were talking, and if my assumptions are correct, they're no longer together. So, she wouldn't care if Derrick was gone; and I haven't seen any of his friends with him lately. And Massie wouldn't want him to be alive anyway. He's a douche; she knows that. _

_I'm ready. I'm ready for it all. _

_Wait, I never did say how I was going to kiill him. _

_With a gun. Bang. Bang. Boom. Badavichi. He'll be dead after one hit to the brain, one hit to the heart, and another to his balls. It's not like he'll need it anyway. And, just for laughs, I'll toss him over at Massie's house. She'd get a kick out of that one. And then I'd come out laughing with her, and she'd be so surprised. She'd hug me and drown me in kisses and hell, we'd fuck each other right then and there. _

_I can't wait. _

_Next stop: Derrick Harrington. _

_By the way... I never did get to Dana 'cause, I mean, she kissed Josh Hotz. I feel bad enough. Ha.

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_

**review? **

**love, **

**ericka  
**


	32. Chapter 32

**an: disclaimed. :)  
**

* * *

Derrick ran through the hospital's empty halls, the white walls covered in paintings, the railings designed with green nylon on them, the clean Lysol smell of the hospital disgusting him, but it gave him all the more boost to find Antoinette in room 504. He passed by several dark pink doors that were open and he caught a glimpse of every person with their own little situation.

501, he noticed a little girl who was bundled up in blankets, watching _iCarly _on TV with a chocolate pudding cup cradled in her hands.

502, Derrick caught a glimpse of a crowd hovering around with bouquets of flowers in their hands. He wondered who they were staring at.

503, he saw a teenaged boy wearing a cast on his leg, stroking it and shaking his head. Probably to himself, Derrick had guessed. A girl entered his view, though, and she stretched her arms around him. He kissed her hand and Derrick had to slow down a little to watch.

Why was it so easy for everyone else to be in love and not him? Why was it that he could never just _have _Massie? What was up with life and it's interferences?

He pushed himself into room 504, his eyes widening at the sight of Antoinette laying there, staring up at the ceiling. His breathing heavy, he walked up to her, thinking of what he should say first. But before he could even make it, he heard the words, "Go find her at your elementary school's playground."

**whereitallbegins**

Massie dangled her feet down, leaving them hanging in the air. She had climbed up the very top of the slide and before she decided to actually lower herself on the yellow contraption, she situated her legs in between the railings. She gazed at the lush, green grass that spread itself beyond her sight, enjoying the gust of wind that pushed against her. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the rail.

Tiny splashes of rain sprinkled across her nose and onto her forehead. She twitched a little bit, but even after that, she remained sitting down in her serene position.

"Massie!" a deep voice bellowed. The voice came nearer, and yet, Massie stayed in the same position. "Massie, Massie, come on, Mass, listen to me, I need to tell you something! Massie!"

Derrick jogged up towards Massie, keeping his brown eyes set on her, _just her_. "Massie," he pleaded, "please, come down from there! I need to talk to you!"

Massie lifted her eyelids, exposing her already tearing amber eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath and swallowed hard before answering, "Why should I, Derrick? Why should I come down to you? When all you've _ever _done was ruin everything that I had? Huh? You made me lose my best friend, Derrick, you made me lose everything and everyone!"

Derrick clenched his teeth together. Was Massie really blaming him for everything that's happened? He jogged up to her and finally, was only a couple of feet away. He stared up at her from the ground and using his hand, shielded away the rain. "Massie, please, listen to me. Don't blame me for anything that happened. The only reason why Claire left was because she chose that for herself. Don't blame me for supposedly crapping up your life, 'cause I _would _never do that to you, Massie."

Massie shook her head in disbelief, untangling herself away from the rails. She hopped up and then leaned over the tops of the rails to glare down at Derrick who was already soaked. Massie hadn't even noticed that the rain pounded down harder than it had in the beginning. She winced and opened her mouth, "What do you mean you wouldn't do that to me? Are you seriously saying that you had no part in this? Maybe, if you stayed away from me and my friends, then we wouldn't have had to go through this! Maybe, just maybe, I would still have Chris—"

"Are you _really _insinuating that _I_, who had _no _idea that you had a boyfriend, am the reason why you and he aren't together anymore? Because he cheated on you? Because, because of the fact that _I _came back, which wasn't exactly _my choice_, y'know, everything in your seemingly perfect life was ruined? Huh? Am I the monster here, Massie, really?" Derrick kept his gaze steady with hers, because even in harsh rain or the sweltering heat of the sun, he could locate those amber eyes anywhere.

Massie sighed and ran a hand through her wet curls and absentmindedly began descending down the small ladder that led you to the top. She bit her bottom lip and trudged through the pouring rain towards Derrick. And although she was _beyond _seeing red at this point, she could still comment on how Derrick looked oh so cute in rain, with his floppy dirty blond hair in his eyes, and how the way his soaking wet shirt clung onto his _amazing _abs. "No, Derrick you're not the monster," she said to him, once she reached him. "But you're one of the monster's minions," she added.

Derrick, with mouth agape and eyebrows knitted together, released an agitated yell and clutched at his head. "Massie, Massie, _listen to me_," he growled. He mentally counted to ten in his head and then slowly said, "I could never, would never, be a monster in your life." He gritted his teeth together and ran a hand through his damp hair. "I would never, in any way, attempt to ruin you, your friends, or anything that involves you, for any reason whatsoever. And, sweetie, love, all you need to ask is for me to leave you. Forever." He licked his lips and continued staring at Massie. "And I'd leave. And never come back to bother you ever again."

Massie's eyebrow twitched and she gulped again, tears mixing with rain. Listening to Derrick stabbed at her, and combine that with the buffeting rain, it was as if they acted as the knives that poked at her, that gnawed at her from the inside. With every word that he uttered, she couldn't help but fall in deep love, over and over and over.

"Massie..." Derrick trailed off, wishing on his lucky star that she wouldn't say no to him. "Do you want me to leave?"

"May I answer that for you?" a scratchy voice intruded.

Derrick whipped around, coming face to face with a brown/red-headed boy who seemed too lanky and too tall, a horrible combination. His hair was wet from the rain, and it shaped around his head that was cursed with a very sly half-smile. Derrick, in instinct, stumbled back a couple of steps, finding Massie's arm. Frozen from the cold rain, she hid behind Derrick.

The boy took a few steps forward, the same creepy half-smile still on his face. "Well, well, well, Derrick"—he nodded at Derrick's ready figure—"and Massie," he stretched her name out, long and loud and venomous. "Long, long, _long _time no see," the boy again took a step forward, his hands hidden behind his back.

Derrick, ready to protect Massie, yelled, "Who is that? Who are you, why do you know my name?"

The boy chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Of course, of course, the infamous _Derrick Harrington _would never know my name, for I've fallen off the face of the earth, with no one looking for me, with no one caring where I am nowadays." He cleared his throat of its raspy sound, but it stayed the same. "Maybe, maybe you'd remember me if I had this on..." He pulled out a large green and blue jersey with the number 18 and the name _Plovert _encrypted on it.

Massie peered over Derrick's broad shoulder, and at the sight of the article of clothing, she gasped. "Derrick, Derrick, it's Chris!" she murmured under her breath. She stepped away from behind Derrick, who grabbed hold of her arm and kept her close, and leaned forward, squinting her eyes. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of her ex-boyfriend.

Chris beamed and applauded himself. "Very good, Chris, very good, you've finally lured out the precious Massie Block." He again took a step forward, but Derrick only pulled Massie back. She whimpered and smacked him, but it only hurt her. She rolled her eyes and listened in on what Derrick had to say. "What are you doing Chris?"

Chris, with his smile turned into a smirk, shrugged carelessly and dropped the jersey onto the muddy grass. He ran a hand through his outgrown hair and said, "Well, I thought that after seeing to it that Massie had gone from Connor to me to Connor and to you, I thought I should just inform you that she's a lying, cheating—"

"Don't even _dare_, Plovert," Derrick snarled.

Chris faux widened his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Well, at least she's now with someone who's actually going to protect her, yes? I mean, poor little Connor who couldn't even _touch _me." He widened his eyes again in fake innocence and shook his head at himself. "Oh, Chris, Chris, Chris, don't expose your secrets now."

Massie's eyes widened and she loosened away from Derrick's hold. She again revealed herself and asked, "_You _were the one who hurt Connor that night? It was _you_, Chris?" She pursed her lips together and ran a hand through her hair. The only thoughts that were going through her head at this moment were ones that didn't exactly match up to _dancing strawberries with top hats and canes_.

Derrick, surprised at the tension that was brewing, stayed close to Massie. He stared hard at Chris and shook his head. Suddenly, it all clicked in his head. "You were the one who did all of that. You were the one who hurt Antoinette, too, then?" he guessed. He felt Massie cringe a little and then make a tiny noise that he wasn't very fond of.

Chris burst into another round of applause and chuckled. "Well, Harrington, you're actually _very _clever, eh? I never thought that _you'd _be the one who got that so quickly. Now, tell me, Derrick, what exactly has been up with you and your life? And up with _my _girlfriend? Oh, and I must thank you for taking care of her, lad, you did an amazing job. I see she's still as beautiful as ever. I guess I shall take her now..." Chris reached out for Massie slowly, but Derrick brought his hand out faster, smacking him.

Chris whipped out a sleek, shiny hand gun and shook his finger at Derrick. "Ah, ah, ah, that's a big no-no, Derrick." He smirked again, twirling the gun on his finger.

Derrick's jaw dropped and his instincts ran faster than usual. He grabbed the petrified Massie and quickly concealed her behind him. "Massie," he whispered from the corner of his mouth. He heard her whimper her understanding and he continued, trying his absolute best not to let Chris know he was saying anything. "Massie, when I tug on your jacket, I want you to run, okay? Run fast and don't stop for anything. If you hear _anything_, I need you to keep on going and please, Massie..." He bit his bottom lip and murmured, "_Don't cry_."

Massie swallowed and nodded, her hand over her mouth. Chris, her ex-boyfriend, had pulled out a gun, a _gun_. Who knew what he was going to do with it? If she was there, on the slide, alone, and he was there with her, he would've shot her. Or done something more. She tried her best not to think about it, but visions of Derrick being shot and she being raped clouded her head.

Chris, with an eyebrow arched, stopped twirling the tiny gun in his hand and continued to stare at Derrick. "So, good man, I beg of you, please, to return my lovely girlfriend to me? I mean, I would never think of stealing any of _your _diamonds, right?" He nodded and again held his hand out. "So, come on, don't make this hard. Give me my love and I'll let you free."

Derrick shook his head, a disgusted look plastered on his face. "_Never_." He gently tugged on Massie's wet shirt and she swallowed and shook her head, burying her face in his back. "No, Derrick, no, please, no, I don't want to leave you, I can't." Derrick gritted his teeth together, his eyes trained on Chris's every move, and from the corner of his mouth, asked, "Massie, why?"

She gritted her teeth together and clutched fistfuls of Derrick's shirt into her hands. "'Cause you won't come back for me, Derrick."

Derrick let out a sharp exhale from his nose, the piercing ache slicing through his lungs. "Sweetie... I promise you, I will." He again tugged on her shirt, and Massie, her legs feeling like jell-o, ran for her life, her breath hitching, her struggles coming out in tiny hiccups. The rain pelted her, hitting her like they were angry at her. And they probably had every reason to be angry with her.

**whereitallbegins**

Derrick glared hard at Chris, hoping that maybe, if he stared at him hard enough, he'd just disappear, like a cheesy thriller movie, when you see them one moment and the next moment they're gone. He balled his fists and maneuvered around Chris, who seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Harrington," Chris shouted, "it won't matter after tonight. Because just 'cause Massie wants you now, it won't matter." A devilish grin slowly formatted itself onto his face, exposing the most hideous of yellow teeth.

Derrick made a face and let out a shaky breath. It came out as a puff, even in the rain. "What do you mean?" he yelled, squinting his eyes to prevent the rain from entering.

Chris chuckled, and before Derrick knew it, there was a _bang_ and then a sharp, stabbing pain that teared itself through his skin. His eyes widened and he fell to the ground, grabbing at the source of the pain, his side. He let out a loud yell, but it was drowned out from all the rain. His vision darkened, and the last remains that he saw of Chris was his smug smirk.

**whereitallbegins**

Massie screamed and turned around. She heard it, a shot went off. Her thoughts clouded over with the depressing image of Derrick being shot to her death, she froze, right on the corner of 82nd and 84th. She turned around, the rain soaking through her trenchcoat, drenching her hair and seeping through her freezing cold clothes. Tears running down her face, she stared at the elementary school that she left behind, the elementary school that she and Derrick had shared. She swallowed hard and remembered what Derrick had told her.

"_Run fast and don't stop for anything_."

Massie continued her torturous journey, but to her, everything was slower. She never knew that she would live a life parallel to a bad soap opera. How did she let all of this happen? How did Chris learn about everything? Everyone? Massie contemplated all of this while running in her squishy Chuck Taylor's. She didn't realize that she was now running across a street, the one that led from the elementary school to the mini-mart in front of her. As she made her way towards the mini-mart, her eyes could only detect the slightest of words.

In red block letters, however, she read **CLOSED**. Massie slowed down and gulped her hiccup and clutched at her stomach. This wasn't happening to her.

"Where the hell is everyone?" she yelled. She looked around and again yelled, "_Help! Somebody, help me! I need help!_"She looked around, feeling like a helpless puppy. "_Anybody, please, anyone, help me!_" She stumbled upon her own trench coat. She felt a brick wall against her outstretched hands and used it to guide her. The rain finally cleared up from her eyes the moment she entered a dark, coven-like alley. Her breaths had become shallow, fast-paced and harder to catch up with. She ran a hand through her wet hair and, realizing that she was in a dry area, her clothes had begun to stick to her, freezing her. She shivered and pulled off her coat, squeezing the water out of it. With shaky hands, she withdrew her phone from her pocket and turned it on.

Her fingers quaking over her keypad, she attempted to dial the emergency hotline.

"Massie!" She heard, someone calling her name. She looked up from her spot to see the redhead that tormented her only moments ago. Or, this whole time. She stood up shakily, her legs vibrating with anxiety and fear.

"Please!" she cried, her voice raspy. "Please, don't hurt me!"

Chris chuckled to himself and began his stroll down the road, twirling again the shiny gun that Massie could spot from distances away. She cowered deeper into the alley, thinking that maybe he wouldn't notice her if she was in the dark. Maybe he'd be like those stupid people in drama series that don't notice their prey once they're tucked away, behind a wall.

She could hear Chris's cynical laughter, echoing in her ears. She could already foresee what he was going to do to her. She swallowed her tears back and sniffled as quietly as she could. She heard it again, the smug chuckling, because he did win. In the end, Chris Plovert had won. He did things over a couple of months, and here she was, about to pay for it. She was the bad one in the end.

From her view, she watched Chris strutting towards her slowly, his eyes locked on her and her only.

Massie, her saucer-like eyes set on him, clutched onto her phone. From a distance away, however, she heard a loud honking sound. She looked up, anticipating something to fall on her. But when she trained her eyes back on Chris, a large furniture moving truck came speeding down and attacked him.

Massie's jaw dropped and she covered her gaped mouth with her hand. Tears streamed down her face, her stomach churning as she heard Chris's yell in pain, the ringing sound of his gun spinning and then falling to the ground. She buried her face in her shirt and, her shoulders shaking, cried her eyes out.

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**an: one chapter left, and it's the end you guys. thanks so much for sticking around. :) **

**review? **

**ericka:)  
**


	33. Chapter 33

**an: :DDDDD last. chapter. whut whut? disclaimed, as usual. :) **_**

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_**Four years later**_

Massie Block stared long and hard at the glass tombstone that Chris Plovert had inherited. She breathed the air, thick and moist, and felt the aura of depression around her. It had been four years; four years since that day that she had discovered everything. Chris had plotted a diabolical plan to hurt everyone she loved. He had successfully hurt Connor, Antoinette, and emotionally killed her.

But, she could admit, she was getting better. Even if it had left her feeling depressed and suicidal, Massie was strong. She knew what she was doing. She knew where she was going.

She closed her eyes again, and opened them, the tombstone still there. She remembered Chris as the boy who first asked her out, with his confidence bubbling over, his smile catching her off guard. She remembered him as the boy who took her hand the first time the electricity went off in Olivia Ryan's Sweet 16 party. She remembered him as the boy who took her heart, held it carefully, and then carelessly tossed it around as if it were an indestructible toy.

But Massie was no Wonder Woman, and she wasn't someone easily healed.

"Good-bye Chris," she murmured. Because even if he had hurt her, even if he had done all of that to her, Chris was still someone she'd remember.

"Are you ready now, sweetie?" Derrick asked, wrapping an arm around her.

Massie tore her eyes away from the sight upon her and smiled up at Derrick. His hair was tousled from the wind and his eyes, although the weather was cold and dark, were shining warmly. She nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm ready."

They turned away from the remains of Chris Plovert and began walking towards Kristen and Josh, who were, of course, flirtatiously making fun of each other and Cam and Nikki, who were staring up at one of the older trees in the bunch, of it's twists and turns and it's flaky trunk. Cam linked his fingers with Nikki's and they turned towards everyone, subtly whispering things from the corners of their mouths.

Derrick chuckled and shouted, "Hey, come on, lovebirds, let's get a move on. If we want to get back to Dartmouth, we'll need to hurry, eh?" He tightened his arm around Massie and kissed the top of her head. "How're you feeling now?"

Massie yawned and shrugged, digging her face into his side. "I'm fine," she mumbled, her voice muffled. "Just _really _sleepy. And, I guess, I could do without Dartmouth for a couple of days." She tried a smile and closed her eyes.

Derrick grinned and lifted his girlfriend into his arms, glad to finally have her to himself. He nodded over at Kristen and Josh who were both making kissy faces at him and Derrick rolled his eyes, but chuckled. After the incident, Derrick had been hospitalized for a week. But luckily, it was Massie who had helped him to get better. He had to spend a couple of months wearing a cast, though, so he wasn't able to write with his right arm.

The six of them headed towards Cam's black Outlander. Derrick turned around, catching a glimpse of the tombstone. He wrinkled his nose and adjusted Massie on his arms. He looked down at her and smiled. There she was, finally, in _his _arms, with _him_. He didn't need to stare at her longingly from afar; he didn't need to strain to hear her conversations, wondering about what she was discussing; he didn't need to ask around where she was without seeming like a stalker. Derrick Harrington was in total bliss. Derrick Harrington was in love.

Massie's eyelids fluttered open, and then shut. She narrowed her eyes to a slit, keeping them like that so she could stay in his arms. She tried her hardest not to smile at the boy she fell in love with. It started out as a friendship; barely even. It progressed to hair-pulling, biting, shoving, name-calling, everything that little kids could conjure. And then, it was there, everyone knew it. It was the inevitable. One of them fell for the other; it was only a matter of time before the other fell, too. She knew that Derrick, no matter what happened, was always going to be watching over her. She knew that he was always going to be there for her, that he was always going to keep his promises to her.

He had promised her that he would come back; and he came back, and he stayed. Because Derrick Harrington would always be the one for Massie Block.

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**an: okay, i know most of you were expecting a _better _ending, but, seriously, for some odd reason, i don't know how to... _end _a story. i mean, yeah, i know _how _to, but for some reason, i always make it seem as if it's... all... bleck. so, i'm sorry if this ending didn't match up to your expectations. :/  
**

**to everyone who kept up with this story, even after my HUGE put-off during the summer. :P to everyone who gave me the best reviews, to those who flamed me, to those who reminded me over and over and over to update, thankyouthankyouthankyou. each and every one of you are amazing. this is my first REAL completed story [unless you count _falling like cigarette ashes_, then this is my second :P ] **

**today, where i live, it is the 23rd. and one _exact _year from today, i posted this story, and today, i finish it. :) it was an amazing journey to get to here, guys. :)**

**for the last time, review?**

**i love you all, **

**ericka :)  
**


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